There are times when Dalmatian Stone, bringing their soulful blues sound to the Kentwood Summer Concert Series this week, wants (or needs) to be small and tight, and times when it wants to be big and brassy.
Either way, the group — whose members make up the core of the The Stone Soul Rhythm Band — will be offering up a mix of sweet Motown soul to today’s hot funk and dance “and a whole lot of recognizable fun in between,” according to Diego Morales, the leader of what he calls his “mad musical laboratory.”
And why the two bands and two band names?
“Dalmatian Stone is its own entity as an original recording band and for special events, etc., which allows us to keep a good mix of covers with our original music,” Morales said to WKTV. “As that entity we were finding it difficult to secure as many gigs as we had hoped for since the market here really calls for cover bands and original bands need to either play for very little money or travel quite a bit.
“So we decided to resurrect my old band, The Soulz of Rhythm, to pick up extra gigs but found it easier to consolidate into something new, The Stone Soul Rhythm Band, covering songs from Motown soul, R&B through 70’s disco funk, and horn bands like Chicago, Ides of March, Lighthouse and such. … In short we can come to any venue as either entity with or without horns.”
So, while it will be the smaller Dalmatian Stone beginning on stage Thursday, July 22, Morales said “As a special treat we were planning on inviting our horn section up for the last few songs. In essence converting into The Stone Soul Rhythm Band.”
The Kentwood Summer Concert Series, which will run most Thursday nights through Aug. 19, with David Gerald on July 29, 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.
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.
The Gilmore Car Museum, and a bunch of little princesses and princes, had so much fun early this year that the museum will hold its second Princesses on Parade & Fairytale Brunch outdoor event on Friday, July 23.
“Children will enjoy unforgettable interactions with their favorite storybook princesses and special cars from the museum’s world-class collection,” according to an announcement from the museum, located between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo at Hickory Corners. Activities will run 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and different levels of tickets are on sale now.
With purchase of a Fairytale Brunch ticket, children can enjoy a delicious morning brunch with Rapunzel, Ariel, and Belle, as they mingle with guests under the outdoor tent, lead a special welcome dance, and conduct a wishing ceremony.
Pretty in Pink: Princesses and cars at the Gilmore Car Museum. (Gilmore Car Museum)
Or, with purchase of a standalone Meet & Greet ticket, children can capture memorable outdoor photo ops with up to 12 storybook princesses and vintage vehicles as they tour the Gilmore lawns, according to the announcement. Also, purchase of a special Princesses on Parade ride ticket allows for parent and child to enjoy a ride around campus alongside a Princess, waving to onlookers, in a classic convertible.
“Princess Days at the Gilmore Car Museum engage and delight children, yet also educate and introduce them to automotive history,” Josh Russell, executive director of the Gilmore Car Museum, said in supplied material.
Outdoor photos with the featured princesses will be taken in front of landmark buildings and special vehicles from the museum collections, including a 1921 Roamer Speedster, America’s Sweetheart Model A Ford, and a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedanca DeVille.
Capacity for the Fairytale Brunch is limited to 150 guests, and capacity for Princesses on Parade convertible rides are limited to 80 guests.
Princess Day at the Gilmore Car Museum is produced in collaboration with Michigan-based Olivia Grace & Company, and its cast of unforgettable character performers. For additional information on Olivia Grace & Company, please visit oliviagraceandcompany.com.
Benzing Graves Collective — aka “BGC” — may be led in music and name by Austin Benzing and Hannah Rose Graves, but with Jeremiah Wenger, Luke Lenhart and Max Griffith added to the “collective”, the band’s stop in Kentwood this week is sure to offer the audience “old-school country steeped in swingin’ good times,” so they say their facebook page.
The West Michigan group of musicians and songwriters hail from different parts of Michigan, were raised on different styles of music, but blend all of the best genres to create their own completely unique sound.
The Kentwood Summer Concert Series, which will run most Thursday nights through Aug. 19, will also include West Michigan favorites Dalmatian Stone on July 22, David Gerald on July 29, 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.
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.
New this year, Kentwood will offer essential workers and their guests special VIP seating near the stage. Essential workers who are interested can RSVP online prior to each concert.
Justin Audeh on bass and vocals and Ezekiel Kinny on fiddle
Scott Nesbit on mandolin and vocals and Justin Audeh on bass and vocals
Tommie Foster on lead guitar and vocals.
Ezekiel Kinny on fiddle
By Patty Williams P. Williams Productions
The threat of rain did not keep the Sounds of Summer fans from filling Cutler Park last Thursday to see the Americana/folk band Tommie and his FAN Club from the North Muskegon/Whitehall area.
The band members are Ezekiel Kinny on fiddle and vocals, Scott Nesbit mandolin and vocals, Justin Audeh bass and vocals, and Tommie Foster lead guitar and vocals.
Tommie and his FAN Club band had the crowd singing along and goofing around all night with an exceptional entertaining show. Setting aside the comedy, there is no doubt that these guys are well seasoned musicians.
The author with the Tommie and his FAN Club. (Photos by Patty Williams)
Zeke and Scott played and sang several bluegrass favorites on fiddle and mandolin.
Applause from all angles of the park erupted as the members played solo breaks on their instruments. Justin, dressed in his colorful clothing and glasses, played and sang old-time country favorites like Eddy Arnold’s “Make the World Go Away.”
Band leader Tommy Foster has a lifetime of music in his background as a singer, songwriter, and entertainer. Tommy has no fear on stage when it came to being crazy with the crowd. The spontaneous one-liners and dancing had the people laughing all evening, making it a great show and fun night.
All of the Sounds of Summer concerts are sponsored by The Byron Township. The concerts are every Thursday evening in July. This week, Thursday, July 15, features The Bootstrap Boys Country. On July 22 will be rock group Jaded 8 and the grand finale on July 29 will feature national headliner Audie Blaylock and Redline bluegrass band. All concerts are at 7 p.m. at Cutler Park, 6701 Cutler Park Dr. SW.
The music will return to the front outdoor area of the Grand Rapids Art Museum as the organization recently announced it would host its free summer concert series GRAM on the Green.
In partnership with WYCE 88.1 FM, this will be the 12th year that GRAM has offered the annual free summer concert series, which will take place Thursday evenings from July 29 to Aug. 12.
“We’re thrilled for free summer concerts to return to the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s terrace this summer,” said GRAM Communications Manager Elizabeth Payne. “GRAM on the Green with WYCE 88.1F is part of the Museum’s ongoing commitment to provide free and accessible experiences for our community year-round.”
JROB+Bedrock performs with the garage-rock band Hollywood Makeout. (Supplied)
This year’s lineup brings three evenings of performances by local and regional talent to downtown Grand Rapids. Guests of all ages are invited to relax on the Museum’s outdoor terrace and enjoy free live music, food trucks, free museum admission, art-making activities, and a cash bar.
Kicking off the series July 29 is Diangophonique with Via & The Playboys. The performance will feature musical tribute of the Parisian Jazz Monouche style that was made popular by Sinit guitarist Django Reinhardt and his Quintette du Hot Club de France.
Aug. 5 is JROB + Bedrock with Hollywood Makeout. JROB + Bedrock is known for a mix of music hip-hop, rap, R&B, and techno music while Hollywood Makeout is a beloved local garage-rock band.
Laura Rain & The Caesars wrapped up the GRAM on the Green series Aug. 12. (Supplied)
Wrapping up the series on Aug. 12 is Laura Rain & The Caesars, and R&B soul group from Detroit that is known to put their own unique twist to some of the classic recordings of the past.
“The lineup this year reflects not only the diversity of the music scene here in Grand Rapids, but across Michigan,” said WYCE Station Manager Jess Martin. “We can’t wait to see everyone at the shows this summer!”
Admission to the Museum is free during GRAM on the Green evenings from 5 – 9 p.m., as part of Meijer Free Thursday Nights.
Concert guests are invited inside the galleries to explore the exhibitions on view during the summer months, including “American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum,” “A Summer Potluck: Stephen Frykholm’s Picnic Posters,” “Design Highlights from the Permanent Collection,” and rotating works from the Permanent Collection.
After great success during the first two events in 2018 and 2019, the Great Lakes Surf Festival is back and will be holding their third annual event on Aug. 14 at Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon Michigan. For 2021, event goers will be able to learn how to surf and paddleboard, along with practicing in yoga directly on the beach. Music, food, and a raffle will also take place. Several surfboards and paddleboards will be given away along with a trip to Costa Rica.
No waves? No problem! The Great Lakes Surf Festival in conjunction with Tommy’s Boats of Grand Rapids Michigan will be making artificial waves. Tommy’s Boats will be able to generate waist high waves to simulate ocean waves. These conditions will be ideal for those seeking a gentle way to learn a variety of boardsports.
“We are excited to see the Great Lakes Surf Festival grow and to have the support from our sponsors and from the surf and paddleboard industry,” said Event Co-Founder Joe Bidawid. “We have one of the most beautiful venue locations on the Great Lakes, in Pere Marquette Beach, and 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.”
John Ball Zoo’s popular Adult Night Out continues with the third of the six event series this Thursday, July 15.
Adult Night Out gives guests ages 21+ the opportunity to experience the Zoo at night without any kids. There will be select animal encounters for guests to enjoy, along with beer and wine selections, including a specialty brew from Two Guys Brewing, and delicious food options throughout the Zoo.
For July 15th, a tropical-themed menu will be offered at the Zoo’s Monkey Island Café featuring cilantro lime rice mixed with juicy pulled pork served in a pineapple bowl, a classic Cuban sandwich, jerk chicken wrap with rice, greens, jerk chicken and the Zoo’s signature sauce, along with pineapple Dole Whip.
John Ball Zoo will be hosting three additional Adult Night Out evenings on July 29, and August 12, 26. They are a perfect date night, an opportunity to network, or to enjoy a friends’ night out.
Each Adult Night Out is 6 – 9 p.m. The Zoo offers four times to enter at 6, 6:15, 6:30, and 6:45 p.m.
Tickets for all dates are available online for $18 for members or $20 for non-members at jbzoo.org/AdultNightOut. Limited tickets are available for each evening. Both events in the month of June did sell out, so the Zoo highly recommends reserving tickets before the event.
John Ball Zoo is located on Fulton Ave., one mile west of downtown Grand Rapids. For questions for more information, visit www.jbzoo.org, call 616-336-4301 or email info@jbzoo.org.
“Give me the beat, boys, and free my soul. I want to get lost in your rock and roll, and drift away.”
From the song “Drift Away” by Dobie Gray
The Soul Syndicate. (Supplied by the band)
A summer concert on the lawn in Wyoming
The Soul Syndicate will open this summer’s season of Wyoming Concerts in the Park on Tuesday, July 13. The free performance, hosted by the Wyoming Community Enrichment Commission, will at at 7 p.m. at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW. Go here for the story.
The Accidentals (Supplied/Courtesy Aryn Madigan)
And another summer concert series, in Kentwood
The free Kentwood Summer Concert Series, which kicked off this week with The Bootstrap Boys, continues July 15 and most Thursday nights through Aug. 19 and includes West Michigan favorites The Accidentals, Benzing Graves Collective, Dalmatian Stone and David Gerald … and The Soul Syndicate night rescheduled for Aug. 19. Concerts will be livestreamed by WKTV and will also be available on WKTV cable channels. (See the WKTV On-air Schedule for details.) Go here for the story.
A classic car show on the shore in St. Joe
As part of St. Joseph’s Love Local Weekend July 16-18, The Mike Yore Memorial Car Show kicks off the weekend on Friday, July 16, from 4- 8 p.m., downtown. View classic cars from days gone by as they line up along Lake Boulevard. Attendees will also “cruise” along the bluff. Go here for the story.
Fun fact:
83 million
The number of entertainment event attendees who lost out on various entertainment events around the world — in the first month of pandemic shutdowns in March-April 2020 — according to Forbes. Source.
Yes, there are already more than a dozen sell-outs of the Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens’ 28-show July-September lineup, with Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park members-only sales continuing until open-public sales start July 10.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band. (Supplied/by Danny Clinch)
And yes, some of the usual “classic rock” suspects are among the sell-outs — The Beach Boys, Kansas, America and Pat Benatar. But, for those more inclined to the “classics” — classic jazz and classic Star Wars — yes in deed, there are still some great concerts with tickets still on the board, including an opening night with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
According to a spokesperson for Meijer Gardens, since members-only opening sales opened two weeks ago about 77 percent of all possible tickets have been sold during the “members only” period.
“Many venues offer pre-sale tickets to their VIP lists, club seat holders and other groups, and we’ve chosen to offer a similar benefit to our members by including early access to discounted tickets as a benefit to being a member of Meijer Gardens,” a Meijer Gardens spokesperson said to WKTV this week. “The public is welcome to purchase tickets after our member pre-sale, as well as attend the Tuesday Evening Music Club series which runs every Tuesday night in July and August from 7-9 p.m. Those concerts are included in a general admission ticket to Meijer Gardens.”
A member of the Grand Rapids Symphony. (From An undated outdoor event, supplied by GR Symphony)
Somewhat surprisingly, though, three nights when the Grand Rapids Symphony, with other acts and as the featured act, are among those ticket that remain available.
To kick off the summer concert series, Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the Grand Rapids Symphony will be on stage July 18.
Then the Grand Rapids Symphony conducted by Bob Bernhardt, principal pops conductor, have the stage all by themselves on July 22. The symphony will be performing works by some of the most popular movie composers of all time — including John Williams’ music from the Star Wars saga, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jurassic Park. (Music from Star Trek the Next Generation, Cinema Paradiso and Titanic, will also be on the program, we are told.)
China Forbes will be performing with Pink Martini, and the symphony (Supplied/by Chris Hornbecker)
Finally, the always popular night of partying with Pink Martini ( this time featuring China Forbes) will be accompanied by the Grand Rapids Symphony on July 29.
“We are very excited to bring the Grand Rapids Symphony back to Meijer Gardens for these special concerts,” Mary Tuuk Kuras, symphony president & CEO, said in supplied material. “Our shared mission of promoting the arts and bringing our community together makes this partnership a wonderful fit.”
Getting all ‘jazzed’ up
While all three of the symphony concerts should be great night of music, opening night with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will likely be a night not to be missed.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band — or just PHJB, for the in the groove — are proof that New Orleans has been the point at which sounds and cultures from around the world converge, mingle, and resurface. The group has held the torch of New Orleans music aloft for more than 50 years, “all the while carrying it enthusiastically forward as a reminder that the history they were founded to preserve is a vibrantly living history,” according to supplied material.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band. (Supplied/by Danny Clinch)
PHJB continues that march forward with So It Is, the septet’s second release featuring all-new original music. The album, according two supplied material, “redefines what New Orleans music means today by tapping into a sonic continuum that stretches back to the city’s Afro-Cuban roots, through its common ancestry with the Afrobeat of Fela Kuti and the Fire Music of Pharoah Sanders and John Coltrane, and forward to cutting-edge artists with whom the PHJB have shared festival stages from Coachella to Newport, including legends like Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello and the Grateful Dead and modern giants like My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire and the Black Keys.”
Take a breath, and take that in for a moment.
Details of getting the tickets
Tickets for the concerts, via Meijer Gardens’s new new ticketing partner, Etix, will be available online at Etix.com (preferred method) with handling fee of $10 per order, or by phone at 1-800-514-etix (3849), also with a handling fee of $10 per order. There will be no on-site ticket sales at Meijer Gardens.
Gate and show start times vary. Check MeijerGardens.org/concerts for details. All information is subject to change. All shows will take place rain or shine, weather delays are possible. There are no ticket returns or refunds.
Meijer Gardens has created an Insider’s Guide to Buying Tickets to help with ticket purchasing. The Insider’s Guide is available at MeijerGardens.org/concerts.
Members can continue to buy tickets during the members-only presale through midnight, July 9.
Sales to the public begin at 9 a.m., July 10. There is a limit of 8 tickets per show, per transaction. Again, there will be no on-site ticket sales at Meijer Gardens. Ticket can be purchased online at eTix.com with a handling fee of $5 per order (not per ticket) and convenience fee of $5.25 per ticket applies to all sales, or by phone at 1-800-514-etix (3849), also with a handling fee of $5 per order and convenience fee of $5.25 per ticket applies to all sales.
Circle Theatre continues its summer programming with two upcoming July performances, including its first indoor production since the COVID pandemic.
On Tuesday, July 12, the company will host its Second Annual Circle Summer Fundraising Concert at 7 p.m. on the lawn at the Aquinas College’s Performing Arts Center, 1703 Robinson Rd. SE.
Lisa Knight will be joined by Michelle Covington and Deb Alexander as they pay tribute to the ladies of soul. From Tina Turner and Chaka Khan to Donna Summer, Whitney Houston and more.
According to Circle Theatre officials, the organization is elated to be back for its 2021 season after having been dark the past year. The extended intermission has left Circle Theater with the goal of raising $150,000 to continue covering ongoing costs as the company works to bring live theatre back to West Michigan. So far, the organization has raised about $50,000 of its goal.
Circle Theatre presents “Cabaret” July 15 – 31. (Supplied)
Tickets for the Circle Summer Fundraising Concert are $25 each. Participants are encouraged to bring picnic blankets and beach chairs. KJ Catering will be offering picnic options.
‘Life is Cabaret, Old Chum’
Circle Theatre continues its 69th season with its first indoor production, the 12-time Tony Award wining production, “Cabaret,” July 15 – 31, at Aquinas College Center of Performing Arts, 1703 Robinson Rd. SE.
“The amazing talent involved in this production will have you engaged and entertained as this classic musical is presented through a new lens,” said Director Will Gearring.
Gearring has intentionally cast to re-envision the popular production and to tell the story of “Cabaret” and the history of 1930s Germany through minority voices – voices of those whose stories have yet to be told. Through his research, Gearring weaves the history of minority voices during the Nazi takeover of Germany in the 1930s and 1940s through the show. Audiences can expect an emersive and eye-opening experience at each performance.
Jaelyn Raiford is Sally Bowles. (Supplied)
“Cabaret” is the story of American writer Cliff Bradshaw and his relationship with cabaret performer Sally Bowles set against 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power. Set in the seedy Kit Kat Klub, the action is overseen by the Master of Ceremonies who welcomes the audiences and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret.
“Our cast bring some small elements the really retell the story in a new way,” said Jaelyn Raiford who portrays Sally Bowles. “In addition, I have gotten to watch each and every performer come with high energy and make this show a stunning and exciting piece of work.
“Every person who joins us in telling this story will see a dramatic love story speckled with comedic characters, eye-catching dance numbers, and social commentary.”
Shows are at 7:30 p.m. with a 3 p.m. Sunday, July 25. Tickets for both shows are available at circletheatre.org or call 616-456-6656.
St. Joe Today invites the community to celebrate all things Southwest Michigan during the Love Local Weekend July 16-18. The Mike Yore Memorial Car Show kicks off the weekend on Friday, July 16, from 4- 8 p.m. in downtown St. Joe. View classic cars from days gone by as they line up along Lake Boulevard. Attendees will “cruise” along the bluff and enjoy classic hits spun by local DJ Mark Durocher, as they take in more than 150 eye-catching vehicles in this charming lakeside town.
Cars can start parking in the event zone along Lake Boulevard at 1 p.m. on Friday. Cars need to be in place no later than 4 p.m., please enter at Lake Boulevard and Park Street. All participants must register day of between 4 – 6 p.m. at the Honor Credit Union tent located on the corner of Lake Boulevard and Broad Street. For more information or to sign up for participant reminders, visit stjoetoday.com/mikeyore. The Mike Yore Memorial Car Show is sponsored by Honor Credit Union, Edward J. Todd, JVIS USA, Wojtowicz Law PLC and SWMI Brew Tours.
“Love Local Weekends are jam packed with summer fun,” said Amy Zapal, executive director, St. Joe Today. “Area residents and visitors are sure to enjoy extended shopping hours, free gift wrapping, new products, featured menu items, specials and a wide variety of area events.” Visit stjoetoday.com/lovelocal for a complete list.
As part of the Love Local Weekend, the Friday Night Concert Series showcases area talent. This free, hour-long concert, which starts at 7 p.m., will be held at the John E.N. Howard Bandshell and will feature Lake Effect Jazz Big Band.
Then on Saturday, July 17, the Love Local Weekend continues with the Race for YMCA 5K/10K presented by TCF Bank held at the Margaret B. Upton Arboretum at 8:30 a.m. Money raised will benefit the Y’s Annual Campaign which provides financial assistance for memberships and programs to local children and families in need. That same morning, head over to Lake Bluff Park for two events – the St. Joe Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (extended hours) and the Lake Bluff Artisan Fair from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free tote bags will be handed out to the first 250 attendees at the St. Joe Farmers Market. For more information, visit stjoetoday.com/farmersmarketand stjoetoday.com/artisanfair.
Saturday evening, the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra hosts Belting Out Broadway at Silver Beach Shadowland Pavilion at 6:30 p.m., gates open at 5:30 p.m. Ticket information and details can be found at smso.org. That same night, visitors and residents will enjoy the Summer Movie Series, hosted by the City of St. Joseph. Saturday’s movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), will begin at 7 p.m. at the St. Joseph High School (Drive-In). Visit stjoetoday.com/movies for a complete summer movie schedule.
On Sunday, July 18 the Love Local Weekend wraps up with a free Municipal Band – Jazz Band Concert held at the John E.N. Howard Bandshell at 7 p.m. Zapal said this weekend is a wonderful way to celebrate the summer season, “Whether you enjoy the beaches, our beautiful downtown shops and restaurants, Whirlpool Compass Fountain, area events, or local wineries and breweries there is something for everyone!”
The best way to describe The Bootstrap Boys — this week’s offering as part of the City of Kentwood Summer Concert Series’ free concerts, on Thursday, July 8, at 7 p.m. — is probably to get out of the way and let them do the talkin’.
“This is country music, just like we know how to make it,” the band says on its website. “It comes from days of hard work, nights in the honky-tonk, and mornings in the church. The songs have a distinct flavor of the workin’ man, folks with dirt on their hands, good times, bad times, drinkin’, druggin’, lovin’, livin’ on the road, and what a friend we have in Jesus.”
‘Nuf said. (But if you need more, check out their website at thebootstrapboys.com.)
And just in case you want another opinion:
“The Bootstrap Boys are singlehandedly reviving country music in West Michigan both in attitude as well as song,” Luke Sass, promotional manager for Founders Brewing Company, says on the band’s website. “The band’s ability to tell stories indicative of a life lived on the razor’s edge is only eclipsed by the ease with which they connect to their audiences.”
The Kentwood Summer Concert Series, which will run most Thursday nights through Aug. 19, will also include West Michigan favorites The Accidentals, Benzing Graves Collective, Dalmatian Stone and David Gerald. (The Soul Syndicate night has been rescheduled for Aug. 19.)
Concerts will be livestreamed by WKTV for those who would prefer to enjoy the performances from home. The concerts will also be available on WKTV cable channels the following Tuesday at 9 p.m., and the next weekend on Saturday at 12:30 and 7 p.m. See the WKTV On-air Schedule for details.
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.
New this year, Kentwood will offer essential workers and their guests special VIP seating near the stage. Essential workers who are interested can RSVP online prior to each concert.
This summer, the Lakeshore Museum Center will be hosting walking tours of downtown that will explore Muskegon’s rich history as well as its exciting present.
Tours are broken down into two categories – Historic Tour and the Art and Architecture Tour. On the Historic Walking Tour, participants will learn about the past and current uses and occupants of many of Muskegon’s historic businesses and residences. Learn about the McCraken house, Charles Hackley’s father, what life was like for the Spaniola family as they operated the market on Western Ave., and other interesting stories about historic downtown Muskegon.
The Art and Architecture Tour will focus on the public art installations, murals, and architectural styles of downtown Muskegon. Stops on the tour will include the statues in Hackley Park, Richardsonian Romanesque buildings, and the recent summer art additions to downtown.
The 90-minute walking tours are scheduled for alternating Mondays and Thursdays through September 2, 2021, with historic tours at 10 am and Art & Architecture Tours at 2 pm. Tours begin and end at the Lakeshore Museum Center, 430 W. Clay Ave. Tours are scheduled for July 8, 12, 22, and 26; Aug. 5, 9, 19, and 23; and Sept. 2.
Tickets for all tours are $13 for Lakeshore Museum Center members and $15 for non-members. A two-ticket minimum purchase is required. Register for the Historic Walking Tour at historicdowntownmuskegontour.eventbrite.com/, and register for the Art and Architecture Tour at historyandarttour.eventbrite.com/, or register by visiting the Museum Store. Once at least two tickets have been purchased, single tickets can be purchased through the Museum Store or by calling 231-722-0278. Groups of six or more can contact the Lakeshore Museum Center at 231-724-5543 to schedule an alternate tour date or time.
For more information and to view the weather policy for these events, visit the Lakeshore Museum Center online at lakeshoremuseum.org/
Guests can tell Zenon and Chione apart because males are more uniformly white and smaller than females. Females have a more extensive black speckled pattern.(Supplied)
The latest addition to the John Ball Zoo is two snowy owls which have now made their home in a newly constructed habituated located at the zoo’s Forest Realm near the Amur tigers.
The zoo recently acquired the two owls from different Michigan raptor rehabilitator organizations. The owls, the male is Zenon named after the Zeno the Greek philosopher and the female is Chione after the Greek goddess of snow, cannot be released back it not he wild because of injuries.
Zoo officials said they hope for a mating match as Zenon and Chione are recommended for breeding as part of the snow owl’s Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP oversees the population management of select species within the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums member institutions and to enhance conservation of this species in the wild.
In the wild, snowy owls live in the northern hemisphere around the world, along open fields, tundra, and shorelines. They primarily eat other birds, fish, and small mammals – typically lemmings and mice. Also, unlike many other owl species, snowy owls are active during the day and spend a majority of their time on the ground.
Snowy owls utilize sight, sound and touch to communicate and perceive their environment. Males “hoot” more frequently than females, and seem to use this vocalization in territorial defense and establishment. Males and females also give a variety of other calls, including a “rick, rick, rick”, a “kre kre kre”, a mewing and a hiss.
With an approximate number of 28,000 mature individuals in the wild, the snowy owl’s conservation status is vulnerable. Humans are considered the most prevalent predator of snowy owls. Snowy owls are killed by humans for food, trophies, and to protect game animals. Other predators include foxes, jaegers, and probably dogs, wolves and other avian predators.
The Great Lakes Surf Festival at Muskegon’s Pere Marquette Beach was a great success in 2018 and 2019, and then there was the pandemic year of 2020. But the organizers of the festival recently announced that they will be holding their third event on Saturday, Aug. 14.
And this year, event goers will be able to learn how to surf and paddleboard, along with practicing in yoga directly on the beach. Music, food, and a raffle will also take place. Several surfboards and paddleboards will be given away along with a surf trip to Costa Rica, according to the announcement.
“We are excited to see the Great Lakes Surf Festival grow and to have the support from our sponsors and from the surf and paddleboard industry,” event co-founder Joe Bidawid said in supplied material. “We have one of the most beautiful venue locations on the Great Lakes, in Pere Marquette Beach.”
And what if there is no waves? Tommy’s Boats of Grand Rapids Michigan will be making artificial waves — waist high waves to simulate ocean waves — wave conditions ideal for those seeking to learn a variety of boardsports.
“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,” Bidawid said in supplied material. “That is our goal.”
On Sunday, July 11, The Sunday Night Funnies stand-up comedy show returns with the Kingpin of Comedy competition at a new location after sixteen months on hiatus because of COVID-19 restrictions.
“After I found out that the Spectrum Entertainment Complex wasn’t going to have us back after the COVID restrictions were lifted, I started to look for a venue to hold the show,” said comedian Brian Borbot, the founder and host of the Sunday Night Funnies. “I have a place interested in hosting it next year, but I didn’t want to wait until then to do the weekly show let alone two years without doing the Kingpin competition.”
The Kingpin competition is a 19-week contest where the audience members votes who’s the funniest person in town. The competition includes prizes and a kingpin trophy.
“The good news is that SNF regular Laura Szczepanek, owner of The Guest House, has stepped up and is letting us do the show at her banquet facility. It’s going to be a great place to hold the Funnies- the room seats 200 people and we’re back on the westside of Grand Rapids, which is the side of town we spent the first eight years on. It’s been one year, three months, and 26 days since we’ve done the Funnies (not that I’m keeping track.) So, I’m looking forward to seeing all the comics, all the new friends we made at Spectrum, and of course everyone who’s been with us since the Radisson & Riverfront Hotel days!”
Laura Szczepanek, owner of The Guest House added, “As a long-time fan of the Sunday Night Funnies, many of the comics, and Brian, I am beyond thrilled to open the doors and welcome the show. It’s been a long year and a half of COVID and its time we got together again and laughed in person.”
The Sunday Night Funnies are a free weekly live stand-up comedy performance featuring a variety of comics from Michigan and around the Midwest. The show is in its eleventh year. The Guest House is located at 634 Stocking NW.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park today, June 28, announced a major gift from The Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids in order to establish the first Holocaust memorial in Grand Rapids, anchored by Ariel Schlesinger’s ‘Ways to Say Goodbye’.
The gift, according to the announcement, “is made possible by a donation from the Pestka family in memory of their father, Henry, all the Holocaust survivors who settled in Western Michigan, and the millions of Jews who perished in the Holocaust.”
Ariel Schlesinger’s ‘Ways to Say Goodbye’. (Photo credit to DIVR Gallery)
Meijer Gardens and the Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids envision ‘Ways to Say Goodbye’ as a gathering place for the Jewish community of Grand Rapids, as well as serving as a teaching tool for educators both locally and nationally to address the Holocaust and its legacy, according to the statement.
“As time goes on and memories of the Holocaust fade, it is important to remember the barbarity human beings are capable of,” Steve Pestka, said in supplied material. “It is equally important to contemplate the strength of the survivors and their ability to continue and rebuild their lives. It is our hope that this work of art will promote an appreciation of our shared humanity and a reminder that hatred and intolerance continue to this day and the consequences of the ultimate dehumanization of human beings.”
‘Ways to Say Goodbye’ is a 20-foot-tall aluminum cast of a fig tree that has shards of glass inserted among the branches. It has been described as “an exceptional work of contemporary sculpture dealing with themes of profound loss and grief” and will serve to memorialize those who perished in the Holocaust as well as those who survived.
“The memorial has important significance to my family because our father was a survivor,” Linda Pestka said in supplied material. “The numbers 73847 are numbers that we will never forget. They were tattooed to my father’s forearm, as though he were an animal, as identification for his potential death. It is our duty to educate, respect and honor the victims and their families of the unthinkable acts against life and morality. The Holocaust did happen. … May we never forget.”
Ariel Schlesinger’s ‘Ways to Say Goodbye’. (Photo credit to DIVR Gallery)
The sculpture is expected to be installed in 2022.
“Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is highly honored and very pleased to receive this significant and meaningful gift to acquire Ariel Schlesinger’s monumental sculpture ‘Ways to Say Goodbye’,” David Hooker, President & CEO of Meijer Gardens, said in supplied material. “We are deeply grateful for this gift adding such an important work of art to our permanent collection.”
Schlesinger work, according to the statement. “takes an organic form that is a metaphor of both the Jewish people and their history.” The aluminum cast sculpture is of a living fig tree that he found on a farm while traveling in northern Italy. This tree was specifically chosen by Schlesinger for its character and as a symbol of the Jewish struggle for survival both during and after the Holocaust. The tree appears fragile and clinging to life, however it is also representative of great endurance.
Schlesinger has commented that in conceptualizing the sculpture, he held pieces of broken glass in his hands that pressed into his fingers. This recalled the Kristallnacht, or “Night of Broken Glass,” the symbolic beginning of the Holocaust, during which Nazi mobs murdered Jews and destroyed Jewish property and synagogues throughout Germany.
Schlesinger (born 1980 in Jerusalem) has lived and worked in many parts of the world, including the United States, Great Britain, Mexico and Germany. He grew up in Israel and received his undergraduate degree at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, Israel’s oldest and most prestigious art school. He graduated from Columbia University in New York with a Master’s in Fine Arts degree.
Schlesinger has had many notable exhibitions in Austria, Cuba, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Slovenia and Switzerland. In 2019 he received a prestigious commission for a public sculpture outside of the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt, Germany.
The pandemic shut down Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up and other small music venues in Michigan. The slow rollout of federal assistance is not helping them come back and fill the seats. (Seven Steps Up)
Three West Michigan “small stage” music venues — Listening Room and Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids and Seven Steps Up in Spring Lake — are moving ahead with scheduling a few nights of music in the coming weeks.
Listening Room is hosting concerts outside the “Room” on the Listening Lawn with its first inside stage concert currently set for Aug. 6 with Tobin Sprout, while Pyramid Scheme’s first live show will be Charles The Osprey + Cavalcade + Crooked Heart on July 10, and Seven Steps Up has scheduled Leigh Nash (of Sixpence None the Richer) for a July 22.
But as the venues begin to come back to life — and live shows return to their stages — after the pandemic shutdown, both had hoped to already have received promised federal financial support from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA).
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich. District 2), shown on the set of “WKTV Journal In Focus”. (WKTV)
That support has not shown up despite their being qualified and early applicants, WKTV has learned from both venues, and that delay has drawn the ire of local U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga. Last week, Rep. Huizenga, who represents both Wyoming and Kentwood, joined more than 200 bipartisan members of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to SBA administrator Isabel Guzman “urging immediate action to stabilize and improve the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant” program.
According to a statement from Rep. Huizenga’s office, the rollout of the SVOG program has been plagued by technical challenges and persistent delays. Since launching the program in April, the SBA has approved roughly 400 grants as of June 14 — despite receiving more than 14,000 applications. In the letter signed by Rep. Huizenga the SBA was urged to “expedite the release of relief funding to struggling venues across the country.”
And that expediting of the relief funding will come none-too-soon for Seven Steps Up and the other venues.
“The portal opened officially on April 26 at noon and we submitted our application at 3:01p.m.,” Michelle Hanks, co-owner of Seven Steps Up, said to WKTV. “To date we have not had a response, although about a week ago it changed from Application Submitted to Pending Final Review. (On June 25, that status was upgraded to ‘Approved”) … But we have no timeline for funding.”
Quinn Mathews, general manager of Listening Room, also is still in the dark about its application — so the venue is moving forward while it waits.
Tami VandenBerg of Pyramid Scheme said they applied for the SVOG grant “in April. We have been in ‘under review’ status for several weeks now… . Hoping to hear of an approval soon.”
Michelle and Gary Hanks, owners and mangers of Seven Steps Up. (WKTV)
“Yes, we applied and we have yet to hear anything,” Mathews said to WKTV. “But we are producing concerts outside in our Studio Park Piazza all summer and we’ll be adding indoors as well here soon. We have a busy lineup for late summer and into the fall.”
The delay is of particular difficulty for Hanks and Seven Steps Up as it struggled to get back to business.
“We know we are eligible, and we are stuck without it. We can’t move forward,” she said. “We can’t, at this point, decide to quit because if we do we will owe tens of thousands of dollars for grants we have accepted under the condition that we certify we plan to reopen. We can’t hire employees. We can’t start up basic services or purchase basic supplies. Or fix our broken sign. Or deal with the hundreds of other decisions we have to make daily with absolutely no clue what to do.
“It’s a nightmare every day and the money is sitting there while venues go out of business. I don’t think it can be called emergency assistance now that it has been almost seven months since the legislation was passed.”
And for Rep. Huizenga, that delay is just unacceptable.
“It’s been six months since Congress created the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program to help some of the hardest hit small businesses in the nation,” Rep. Huizenga said in supplied material. “The Small Business Administration’s inability to properly administer the funding in a timely manner is completely unacceptable. The more time that passes due to bureaucratic inaction, the more small concert venues will close their doors for good.”
The letter which Rep. Huizenga signed points out “These small businesses not only provide good jobs and contribute economically to our local communities, they contribute to the spirit and local culture as well.”
For an up-to-date schedule at Seven Steps Up concerts, visit sevenstepsup.com.
For an up-to-date schedule of Listening Room concerts, both on the lawn and, soon, inside, visit listeningroomgr.com.
YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids, which operates seven branch locations in the Grand Rapids area including the SpartanNash YMCA in Wyoming, announced this week that it has been awarded $189,000 from the Michigan Department of Education to provide summer learning opportunities for children in summer programs.
The grant is part of a larger $2.3 million given to Michigan YMCAs to “deliver a coordinated program which supports children, families, and schools while they recover from the pandemic and prepare for a successful return to the school year,” according to the announcement.
“The YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids is excited to expand and enhance our existing day camp program,” Nicole Hansen, district executive director of community engagement and youth development, said in supplied material. “Through intentional math, science, literacy, and social-emotional curriculum, we will ensure the youth in our community have an engaging summer full of education and connection.”
YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids is still accepting registrations for day camp programs. To sign up visit grymca.org/summer-day-camps. (Camp leaders are also still needed to staff the day camps. Applicants can visit grymca.org/careers for more information.)
The YMCA’s summer programs will “focus on fun, keeping kids safe, active, fed, and engaged with other children and adults.” The funding from the Michigan Department of Education allows YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids to offer traditional camp programs that are “enhanced to address the unique academic needs created by the pandemic,” according to the statement.
“The Y is prepared to work with schools to overcome the challenges facing students, families and communities,” Fran Talsma, executive director for the Michigan Alliance of YMCAs, said in supplied material. “To effectively combat COVID learning loss, in- and out-of-school learning needs to be connected and seamless.
“We have the capacity and expertise to support schools and help achieve positive outcomes for students. The Y is ready to meet the academic, social-emotional, physical, and nutritional needs of children and is committed to strong collaborations to improve the academic success and overall well-being of children.”
In addition to the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids’ branch locations, it also operates YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin, community outreach programs, and childcare sites. For more information visit grymca.org.
Krasl Art Center (KAC) will host the 2021 Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff in person on Saturday, July 10, and Sunday, July 11. Safety precautions will be in place to keep the vibrant community of artists, patrons, and event supporters safe in ever-changing times.
In 1962, a small handful of local artists held a clothesline art exhibition along scenic Lake Bluff Park in St. Joseph. Those artists then formed the St. Joseph Art Association which, in 1979, through the beneficence of George and Olga Krasl, built Krasl Art Center. Over the years, the fair became one of the top-ranked juried art fairs in the nation and grew to become one of the peak summer events in southwest Michigan. When the COVID-19 Pandemic took hold in 2020, the fair paused for the safety of the 50,000 visitors, 200 artists, 500+ community volunteers, and our local neighbors.
“We are grateful to the community for their many years of support for this beloved event,’ KAC Executive Director Julia Gourley Donohue. From considering plans for 2021 to approval, and now as we finalize how to implement plans, we remain fortunate to have the leadership of many volunteers who will help ensure a successful and safe event this year. The new, advance timed ticketing plan will enable us to keep crowd sizes down for safety and in accordance with Executive Orders. Admission fees support expenses associated with planning the Art Fair and Krasl Art Center’s year-round free to all gallery and outdoor sculpture exhibitions. We can’t wait to see our masked-up patrons once again shopping with living, working artists at the Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff.”
What to expect for the 2021 Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff:
All guests are asked to secure a timed ticket in advance.
Tickets are $5 per person age 2 and older and free for those under 2. Tickets will be available online mid-May.
To manage attendance size, a limited number of timed tickets will be available for each time slot.
Gated event. Lake Bluff Park will be gated to the north and to the south of Broad Street.
Cloth or paper masks are required for all guests, volunteers, artists, and KAC staff age 2 and up.
Increased hand sanitizing stations.
Artist vendors only (In lieu of a food court, guests are encouraged to explore local restaurants in downtown Benton Harbor and St. Joseph during their visit).
Stay up-to-date on decisions for this year’s event and learn other ways you can volunteer by signing up for email updates at krasl.org/art-fair/event-information/
The City of Kentwood has a full day of activities planned Saturday, July 3, for its annual Fourth of July Celebration, including a pancake breakfast, a 5K race, a parade, and a carnival and live music — all leading up to fireworks at dusk, according to an announcement from the city.
Complete information about Kentwood’s Independence Day activities can be found at kentwood.us/july4.
“We are excited about the return of Kentwood’s Fourth of July Celebration with a variety of activities community members of all ages can enjoy,” Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley said in supplied material. “We welcome our residents to join us as we celebrate our nation’s independence.”
Mayor Kepley and City of Kentwood Commissioner Emily Bridson, both of whom are running to be elected mayor this fall, are expected to be part of the festivities, as will all members of the city commission.
The City is also seeking volunteers for its Fourth of July Celebration. Those interested are encouraged to sign up online or call 616-656-5270.
A full day of activities
The July 3 events will begin with a pancake breakfast at the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE. The breakfast is $5 per person (free for age 5 and younger), served 7-9:30 a.m., and includes pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee.
Kentwood hosts several community 5k runs (this one fro the fall of 2019) and will do another on July 3. (WKTV)
At 7:30 a.m., racers of all ages will gather next door at the Kentwood City Hall parking lot, 4900 Breton Ave. SE, for registration and packet pickup for the NN Mobile Solutions 5K Race & Fun Walk.
The chip-timed race will begin at 8:30 a.m., with the start and finish in front of City Hall. Participants will loop through nearby neighborhoods before coming back on the paved East West Trail to finish. For the safety of all participants, no baby strollers, roller skates, dogs or bicycles will be allowed on the course. All participants will receive a finisher medal and shirt for this race. Shirts are not guaranteed unless registered before June 21.
Following the race will be a parade at 9:30 a.m.
Kentwood will celebrate July 4th a day early this year, on Saturday, July 3, with a parade, fireworks and more. (WKTV)
The parade route will start at Crestwood Middle School, 2674 44th St. SE, travel south on Walma Avenue SE to Breton Avenue SE, then turn west on 52nd Street SE and end at Challenger Elementary School, 2475 52nd St. SE.
New this year, Kentwood will honor essential workers by having them lead the parade. Spectators are encouraged to physically distance from other households along the route.
From 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., there will be a carnival at City Hall featuring a variety of rides that “will be cleaned between riders” and carnival games for all ages, according to the city statement. Individual tickets will cost $1 each. Wristbands will be available for $20. Tickets and wristbands will only be available at the event. The number of tickets required for each attraction will vary.
City Hall will also be the hub for the evening celebration, scheduled for 4-10 p.m., where there will be community booths, a beer tent and food trucks lining the lawn behind city hall. A variety of bands, including BareNaked 90’s, Asamu Johnson and the Associates of the Blues, and The Adams Family, will take the stage to perform live music leading up to the fireworks show at dusk. The fireworks will be viewable from city hall and surrounding areas.
Some notes about traffic flow
A section of Walma Avenue near City Hall from Fire Station #1, 4775 Walma Ave. SE, to the roundabout will be closed all day to allow pedestrians to safely cross the street and take part in the activities.
Guests who are parked at Kentwood’s Kent District Library can take the roundabout out to Breton Avenue heading north or turn left out of the library’s parking lot onto Breton heading south. The Kentwood Police Department and volunteers will be on-site to help direct traffic.
Classic soul, R&B and a little ‘funk” for your summer evening will be provided by The Soul Syndicate this week as the City of Kentwood Summer Concert Series’ free concerts return for a summer run beginning Thursday, June 24, at 7 p.m.
The summer series, which will run most Thursday nights through Aug. 5, will also include West Michigan favorites The Accidentals, Bootstrap Boys, Benzing Graves Collective, Dalmatian Stone and David Gerald.
Concerts will be livestreamed by WKTV for those who would prefer to enjoy the performances from home. (Click on the Live Streams link in the upper right of the page.)
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.
New this year, Kentwood will offer essential workers and their guests special VIP seating near the stage. Essential workers who are interested can RSVP online prior to each concert.
Lori Gresnick, recreation program coordinator, City of Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department, discusses why the city added an early season food truck rally this year, at the May 19, 20231 event at the Kentwood City Complex. (WKTV)
The City of Kentwood and GR8 Food Trucks’s new early-season Food Truck Festival, the first of two this summer season, had some rain showers but plenty of family fun as well on Saturday, June 19.
On Juneteenth, June 19, the Kent County Black Caucus had a presence at the Kentwood food truck festival, attended here by Kentwood City Commissioners Maurice Groce and Betsy Artz. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The “kickoff” of the Summer Food Truck Festival’s two-event schedule took place in the parking lot of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard. L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE. To wrap up the summer season, another food truck festival is scheduled on Saturday, Sept. 11, at the same location.
The free-to-attend community event had 16 food trucks — with even more planned for the September event, Lori Gresnick, recreation program coordinator, City of Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department, said to WKTV.
There was also live music, a beer tent and food available for just about every taste.
There was also several community booths including the Kent County Black Caucus, as the day was also Juneteenth, attended early to by Kentwood City Commissioners Maurice Groce and Betsy Artz.
More information about the Summer Food Truck Festival is available at kentwood.us/SummerFoodTruckFestival. For a slideshow of photos from the event, see below (and click through).
“I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.”
— Harriet Tubman (Freed Slave)
A view of a previous City of Kentwood Food Truck Festival. (WKTYV/2018)
Food Truck Rally in Kentwood
The City of Kentwood and GR8 Food Trucks aren’t waiting until the end of summer to offer the annual Food Truck Festival this year – they’re kicking off the season later this month with the first to two planned food truck events. The “kick-off” of the Summer Food Truck Festival will take place Saturday, June 19, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., in the parking lot of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard. L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE. Go here for the story.
Juneteenth celebration in Wyoming
In an effort to educate and build a bridge of understanding, the City of Wyoming is hosting its first-ever Juneteenth event Saturday, June 19, from noon to 4p, at Calvary Christian Reformed Church, 3500 Byron Center Ave. SW. The free event will feature an array of programs on such topics as history, hair and the CROWN Act legislation, COVID 19 and the black health disparities, the Black Freedom Struggle and discussion on the Emancipation proclamation and the 13th Amendment. Go here for the story.
Fun fact:
800, plus or minus
Kent County has a fair amount of food trucks, but arguably the home of the first food truck culture, Los Angeles, Calif., had a food truck population of more than 800 trucks before the pandemic. Source.
This summer, both the Grand Rapids Public Museum and the Grand Rapids Art Museum explore America’s culture — from pop to folk — through different lenses.
Grand Rapids Public Museum: POPnology and Pollinators
The Grand Rapids Public Museum takes a futuristic approach to American culture with its “POPnology” summer exhibit along with giving visitors a ground view of the life of pollinators in “Amazing Pollinators.”
“This summer, you won’t want to miss these two exciting additions to the experience at the Grand Rapids Public Museum,” said Kate Kocienski, the Public Museum’s vice president of marketing and public relations. “Great for all ages, these exhibits will entertain while teaching about nature, science, technology and engineering.”
A featured item in the “POPnology” exhibit is the DeLorean time machine car from “Back to the Future.” (GRPM)
“POPnology” is three floors of exhibit space featuring the DeLorean time machine, androids, and extraterrestrials from far-away galaxies and more. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore and see how technology has been featured in movies, books, television, art, and created by futurists. Four featured areas explore science and technology in everyday lives, where we’ve been, and where we’re going: How We Play, How We Connect, How We Move, and How We Live and Work.
Among the highlights of the “POPnology exhibit are:
Local Motors showcasing the Strati, the world’s first 3D printed car
Two interactive state of the art game that allow you to explore our fascination with the red planet – the Mars Rocket Builder and Mars Lander
Virtual projection games
Futuristic musical instrument technology
Jetpack from Disney’s “The Rocketeer”
Autopia car from Disney World’s Tomorrowland
Artistic renderings from visual futurists who created the look of such movies as “Blade Runner,” “Star Wars,” “Alien”
Moving from futuristic to the real world, “Amazing Pollinators” is a bilingual and playable maze that has hundreds of interactive flowers spread across nine environments like lotus flowers in the rain forest, saguaro cactus in the desert, and moon flowers glowing in the black lit night room.
Visitors explore the “Amazing Pollinators” exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (GRPM)
In the maze, visitors take on 48 survival missions from eight different pollinator groups including bats, bees, beetles, birds, butterflies, moths, flies, and wasps. There are six missions for each group that increase in complexity and difficulty, putting players in the shoes of different species like the hibiscus bee, soldier beetle or ruby-throated hummingbird.
Both exhibits will be available through the summer season. Tickets for “POPnology” are $5/person and $3/GRPM member and are in addition to general admission to the Museum. “Amazing Pollinators” is included in the general admission. Kent County residents receive discounted admission to the Public Museum, including free general admission every day for Kent County kids ages 17 and under.
Advance ticket purchase is required before visiting the museum. Visitors are required to wear masks properly during the duration of their visit. For social distancing guidelines and other information, visit grpm.org.
Cotton, with pencil quilt by Jessie B. Telfair (1913–1986), 1983; Jessie B. Telfair, (1913–1986); Freedom Quilt; 1983; Textile; Quilt; Cotton, with pencil; 74 x 68; American Folk Art Museum; Parrott, Georgia, United States; 2004.9.1
Grand Rapids Art Museum: American Perspectives
More than 80 American folk art objects, spanning from paintings and pottery to quilts, needlework, and sculpture, are on display at the Grand Rapids Art Museum through Aug. 28.
“‘American Perspectives’ offers our visitors a chance to look at America through the eyes and experiences of folk artists,” said GRAM Director and CEO Dana Friis-Hansen. “The diversity of experience and perspective is what strengthens our community, and we look forward to sharing a platform for stories that have often been untold throughout history.”
“American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection” is organized into four sections: Founders, Travelers, Philosophers, and Seekers. Within each of these sections are themes of nationhood, freedom, community, imagination, opportunity, and legacy.
Many of the works in the exhibit present the perspectives of groups that are largely unseen in museums, such as enslaved people, immigrants, and people with disabilities. It reinforces how many of our society’s current issues — immigration, political turmoil, economic uncertainty, and loss of personal liberties — have been a concern in the past and remain topics of significance today.
“‘American Perspectives’ include traditional art works like portraiture and landscape paint to more unexpected pieces like carousel figures, wood carvings, and dolls,” said GRAM Assistant Curator Jennifer Wcisel. “The craftsmanship and beauty of each work is remarkable, but what truly makes them come alive are the diverse stories behind them.
“From Felipe Archuleta who was unable to find work as a carpenter and began creating life-size animal sculptures to Jessie B. Telfair, a black cook in Georgia who created her ‘Freedom Quilt’ after being fired from her job when she tired to register to vote — I hope visitors will find stories that relate to their won lives and the social and political issues of the present.”
The exhibit is included with the general admission to the Grand Rapids Art Museum. For social distancing guidelines and other information, visit artmuseumgr.org.
Whether fairy or wizard, prince or princess, everyone is invited to come in costume to Princess Day on Thursday, June 17 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at John Ball Zoo.
While dressed as your favorite character, guests can meet special royalty rotating throughout the day – Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Tiana, Snow White, Elsa, Anna, Merida, Elena, Rapunzel, Moana, Mulan, Raya, and Tinker Bell.
Princess Day meet and greet is included in regular admission. Zoo members can meet the princesses for a special members-only meet and greet from 8 – 9 a.m.
Along with meeting princesses, guests can also visit the Zoo’s animals including their new Toco toucan named Mango and the red panda family of five including the three cubs.
Guests can make their Zoo visit more regal through special Princess Day only opportunities. With themed tiaras, wands, swords, crowns, necklaces, and flower headbands, guests can complete their princess day look with a visit to the Zoo’s Gift Shop. Guest can also top the day with a themed arm painting.
Zoo admission is $15 for adults, $12 for children (ages 3-12) and seniors, with children 2 and under are free. It is recommend to purchase tickets online prior to arrival to make entry quicker and easier. John Ball Zoo is located on Fulton Ave., one mile west of downtown Grand Rapids. For more information www.jbzoo.org or 616-336-4301.
It has been almost two years since Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s summer concert series promoter Chris Mautz last arranged an act on tour to stop in Grand Rapids — if you guessed Calexico and Iron Wine, in September 2019, you were probably there.
But with the national touring band concert season awakening as the COVID-19 pandemic ebbs a little more with every vaccination shot, and concert venue attendance limits are expanded or removed, Meijer Gardens this morning announced the complete lineup for 2021’s late-arriving season.
And despite its late start and abbreviated lineup, the Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens’ 28-show lineup, arranged as always by Mautz and his company, delivers a little something for everyone, from the opening night of Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the Grand Rapids Symphony on July 18, to the closing night of Lettuce and Galactic featuring Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph on Sept. 19.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will play with the Grand Rapids Symphony on July 18 (Supplied/Patrick Melon)
In between are 26 other shows including returning favorites The Beach Boys on Aug. 20, Pink Martini (featuring China Forbes) with the Grand Rapids Symphony on July 29, and O.A.R. on Sept. 9.
The highlights of the season — from this deprived concertgoer — may well be a great two-night blast from the ‘90s past will be The Verve Pipe on July 24 and Collective Soul on July 25, the pairing of the great Emmylou Harris and Los Lobos on Aug. 8, and the return of the “bring-the-house-down” sounds of St. Paul & The Broken Bones on Aug. 27.
Nobody, though, is more glad to see the business of live concerts returning than Mautz — after all, it is his business.
“This 14-, 15-month pause is certainly not something any of us expected to happen, right? But it sure does feel good to be coming back,” Mautz said to WKTV. “There has been a desire from both sides (music venues and touring acts) to be engaged again.”
And things have been moving, cautiously, in the right direction for opening up the national touring scene for a few months.
“For so many of us, it has been the last three-ish months that we have been on a good positive trend — for the most part — case rates going down, vaccine rates going up, hospitalization rates going gown. … That consistency of heading in the right direction has given a little opportunity, for me personally, to get that engine cranking a little bit.”
Capacity restrictions no longer in place
According to the Meijer Gardens announcement, “Consistent with current COVID-19 guidance, as of July 1 there will be no capacity restrictions and 1,900 general admission tickets will be available for each concert.”
Emily Lou Harris. (Supplied/Kat Villacorta)
And that means there is likely to be full houses for many, if not all, of the aforementioned concerts and well as the rest of the lineup.
Among the other Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens are:
The Grand Rapids Symphony conducted by Bob Bernhardt, Principal Pops Conductor on July 22; Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange), Aug. 5; Kansas, Aug. 6; Harry Connick, Jr. and His Band – Time to Play!, Aug. 9; America, Aug. 11; Umphrey’s McGee, Aug. 12; Mat Kearney, Aug. 13; Shakey Graves, Aug. 16; Blues Traveler + JJ Grey & Mofro, Aug. 18; 38 Special, Aug. 19; Squeeze, Aug. 22; Ani DiFranco, Aug. 23; Colin Hay of Men at Work, Aug. 26; Old Crow Medicine Show, Aug. 29; Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Sept. 1; Indigo Girls, Sept. 2; Black Violin + Blind Boys of Alabama, Sept. 12; Toad the Wet Sprocket, Sept. 15; and Pat Benetar & Neil Giraldo, Sept. 16.
Some bands back on the road, but not all
While the Meijer Gardens lineup is well represented with different musical genres and acts, and other local venues are beginning to schedule as well, there will be a time lag for the touring bus to get back to full throttle, Mautz believes.
The Verve Pipe (Supplied)
“A lot of people think there will be a flood of activity from the touring world, and the public will want to get back out there,” he said. “But I think, like many things with this pandemic, it will be different shades of grey. …
“Certainly a lot of bands are itching to get out there, but some are working and have been working throughout the pandemic, while others have been a little more patient and will stay that way. I would not be surprised to see that have a reflection on the business in general.”
Details of getting the tickets
Tickets for the concerts, via Meijer Gardens’s new new ticketing partner, Etix, will be available online at Etix.com (preferred method) with handling fee of $10 per order, or by phone at 1-800-514-etix (3849), also with a handling fee of $10 per order. There will be no on-site ticket sales at Meijer Gardens.
Gate and show start times vary. Check MeijerGardens.org/concerts for details. All information is subject to change. All shows will take place rain or shine, weather delays are possible. There are no ticket returns or refunds.
Kansas (Supplied/Emily Butler Photography)
Meijer Gardens has created an Insider’s Guide to Buying Tickets to help with ticket purchasing. The Insider’s Guide is available at MeijerGardens.org/concerts.
Members can buy tickets during the members-only presale beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday, June 26, through midnight, July 9. Members save $5 per ticket during the presale. After July 10, members save $2 per ticket. There is a limit of 8 tickets per show, per transaction. To join or renew a membership before June 26, visit MeijerGardens.org/membership or call the membership department at 616-977-7689.
Sales to the public begin at 9 a.m., July 10. There is a limit of 8 tickets per show, per transaction. Again, there will be no on-site ticket sales at Meijer Gardens. Ticket can be purchased online at eTix.com with a handling fee of $5 per order (not per ticket) and convenience fee of $5.25 per ticket applies to all sales, or by phone at 1-800-514-etix (3849), also with a handling fee of $5 per order and convenience fee of $5.25 per ticket applies to all sales.
The Apple & BBQ Festival will make a comeback as the largest festival to return to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes area after a forced cancelation in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Located at the Golden Township Park at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes on Silver Lake Road, this exciting two-day festival will take place outdoors on Sept. 10 and 11 with a culmination of live entertainment, events, and delicious food!
The festival will do the right thing about health and safety protocols to make sure people feel comfortable. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the festival. Guests, volunteers, and vendors are encouraged to wash and sanitize their hands frequently. Mask will not be required but are welcomed.
Families and festival goers can expect an expanded Arts & Crafts Fair and an increased number of Food Vendors. Other popular features returning are the Classic Auto & Buggy Show, Kids’ Activities, Apple Pie Contest, Apple A Day 5K, Live Entertainment, Amateur BBQ Contest, Beer Tent, and more. The KCBS Professional & Amateur BBQ Cooking Contests are still being worked on, information regarding these events to follow soon.
Proceeds from the festival benefit organizations and programs that serve the Silver Lake Sand Dunes area. The festival gives back to various community events such as Silver Lake Fireworks, beautification projects including the flags and flowers at the Silver Lake roundabout, and funding projects that further the growth of the Golden Township Park at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes.
“We hope everybody comes and has a great time”, says Scott Beal, Executive Director of the Silver Lake Sand Dunes- Hart Visitors Bureau. “We are excited for the events return and the positive economic impact it has for the area”. If you would like to attend, volunteer, sponsor, or be a vendor at the event, please call 231-873-2247 or visit www.applebbqfestival.com.
The City of Kentwood and GR8 Food Trucks aren’t waiting until the end of summer to offer the annual Food Truck Festival this year – they’re kicking off the season later this month with the first to two planned food truck events.
The “kick-off” of the Summer Food Truck Festival will take place Saturday, June 19, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., in the parking lot of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard. L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE. To wrap up the summer season, another food truck festival is slated for Saturday, Sept. 11.
A variety of for trucks will be at Kentwood’s End of Summer Food Truck Festival. (WKTV)
“We’re pleased to expand the Food Truck Festival to two dates and double the opportunity for community members to come together for fun, fellowship and fantastic local food and music,” Val Romeo, Kentwood Parks and Recreation director, said in supplied material. “We’re delighted to again partner with GR8 Food Trucks, vendors and musicians to provide this wonderful all-ages event for our community.”
The free-to-attend community event will feature 16 food trucks, live music and a beer tent, according to supplied material. The food trucks will offer everything from Filipino cuisine to Indian food, as well as barbeque options, hot dogs, fries and a variety of dessert options. While entry to the festival is free, cost for food and beverages varies by vendor.
The event also will have community booths including the Kent County Black Caucus, which will honor the day and educate the public about Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the country. Workforce Employment Specialists, United Healthcare and others will be on-site as well.
Live music will start at 11 a.m. with The Boogie Woogie Kid, followed by DJ Snax, Hazy Past and Asamu Johnson and The Associates of the Blues. A beer tent featuring local craft beer favorites will be open 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Among the food trucks expected to participate are Beecher’s Pretzels, Curry in a Hurry, Daddy’s Dough Cookies, Detroit’s Original Coney Island, Kona Ice of Lowell, Kool Breze, Little Mamma’s Ultimate Dessert & Snack Truck, Nick’s Gyros, Patty Matters, Pig Out on the Fly, Pressed in Time, SANSE Filipino Cuisine, Specialty Cheesecake and Dessert Company, Street Frites, Touch O’ Dutch and UCC Dessert.
“Food trucks offer a great way to sample a variety of cuisine in a relaxed and outdoor setting,” Alan Stone, president of GR8 Food Trucks, said in supplied material. “Kentwood’s Food Truck Festival provides an opportunity for residents to have fun while supporting local businesses, which is especially important during the pandemic.”
Bell’s Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo is now sporting a fitting mural by Dream Scene Placemaking, and mural artists Anna Lee Roeder and Erik Vasilauskas. (Dream Scene Placemaking)
The next time you are in Kalamazoo, looking for Bell’s Eccentric Café, and your Siri directions have your running in circles, just stop and look for the wall of hops — the big wall of big hops.
A new outdoor mural at Bell’s Eccentric Café, created and installed by Dream Scene Placemaking, is now one of the largest murals in downtown Kalamazoo and the imagery reflects the brewing process — including a wall of hops — as well as Bell’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The murals are part of the the Café’s celebration of its 28 anniversary, officially set for on June 11. (Fun fact: Did you know that Bell’s was the first Michigan brewery to sell beer by the glass, on site, since Prohibition?)
Anyway, back to the murals …
Even before the Eccentric Café opened in 1993, Bell’s Brewing has “been committed to its community and re-vitalizing its areas in downtown Kalamazoo,” according to supplied material, and the murals are another example of “that commitment to breathe new life into the community.”
The Kalamazoo-based Dream Scene Placemaking, and mural artists Anna Lee Roeder and Erik Vasilauskas, began working on the mural on April 19.
Another wall of the Bell’s Eccentric Café mural by Dream Scene Placemaking. (Dream Scene Placemaking)
This mural project had been in the planning stages for a few years. Work was scheduled to begin just before the COVID-19 Pandemic hit in March 2020. It was completed on May 14.
The mural incorporates images and messaging that represent what Bell’s is passionate about, according to supplied material, including the highest quality ingredients (hops), innovation along with high quality and consistent craft beer no matter how much the brewery grows over time (silhouette of our original brewery).
It also features the Brewers Associations’ Independent Seal, which can only be used by breweries who fit the trade group’s definition of small, independent craft brewers. Bell’s is proud to remain 100 percent family-owned and “fiercely independent.”
The company’s commitment to being “Open to All” is also well-represented.
“‘Open to All’ greets everyone who visits any of our buildings, whether that’s our pub, store, or our Comstock Brewery,” Carrie Yunker, Bell’s executive vice president, said in supplied material. “We are firmly committed to an environment that is rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion for our employees and our guests. This mural makes that statement loud and clear.”
Last month, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer saddled up to the bar at Grand Rapids’ Long Road Distillers and … wait for it … signed a series of senate bills which “will make it easier for distillers and retailers to distribute and sell mixed spirit drinks, offering consumers more choices and growing our economy,” according to a statement from her office.
Canned cocktails represent a growing part of the spirits industry, and Senate Bills 141-144 will allow for an expanded array of canned cocktails to be sold in Michigan. Previously, canned cocktails were capped at 10 percent alcohol-by-volume. These bills will allow for private wholesalers — often distilleries based in Michigan, such as Long Trail — to distribute canned cocktails up to 13.5 percent alcohol-by-volume.
Jon O’Connor, owner of Long Road Distillers, (middle), and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids, and others at the singing of several state bills supporting the craft distilling industry. (State of Michigan)
“We thank the governor and the bi-partisan efforts in both the House and Senate for recognizing the importance of the craft distilling industry in Michigan as well as the need to make these changes which create new opportunities to get products to market,” Jon O’Connor, co-founder of Long Road Distillers and president of the Michigan Craft Distillers Association (MCDA), said in supplied material. “We believe this is the beginning of continued and expanded support for future efforts related to enhancing opportunities for Michigan small distillers.”
One of the bills was sponsored by state Sen. Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids.
“This is commonsense legislation to allow our small businesses to distribute new products to people all over Michigan,” Sen. Brinks said in supplied material. “Grand Rapids may be known as ‘Beer City,’ but we have many innovative craft distillers who contribute to our economy and culture in West Michigan. Now that many national sellers are pushing seltzers and canned cocktail drinks, it’s only practical that we give our local businesses a fair chance to get their products in front of consumers easily and quickly.”
After a year off, GR International Wine, Beer & Food Festival set for November
The 14th Annual Grand Rapids International Wine, Beer & Food Festival has announced its 2021 dates as Nov. 18-20 at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids. And this year it will “kick off the holiday season with an unprecedented and diverse display of food, beverage and culinary entertainment presented by the area’s finest chefs, restaurants and purveyors of libations from around the globe,” according to supplied material.
Since its inception in 2008, the festival — named in 2019 as one of a dozen “Fall Wine Festivals In North America You Don’t Want to Miss” — has grown to be the largest and of its kind in the Midwest.
“Following the brunt of the pandemic, people will be looking to finally spread their wings and gather with their friends,” Henri Boucher, show producer, said in supplied material. “We are excited to once again welcome our exhibitors, presenters and the public to join us as we celebrate the return of events in a safe and welcoming venue.”
Rockford Brewing Co. plans to add pizza pub near its brew pub
When Rockford Brewing Co. first opened its doors patrons could order a beer from the bar and order a pizza from nearby Vitale’s Pizza. Both would magically show up at your table.
Who would have thought beer and pizza would go together? Like everybody!
Malphs Pizza Pub rendering (Rockford Brewing Co.)
Anyway, it was announced last month that Malph’s Pizza Pub, created by the owners of Rockford Brewing Co., will take the place of Vitale’s Pizza of Rockford by spring of 2023 and will contain a new pizzeria, distillery and brewery inside a historic building “following an extensive restoration.”
According to multiple media reports, the remodeled 5,764-square-foot space will offer “substantial seating, including two separate bars and gorgeous views of the historic Rogue River Dam and downtown Rockford. Building plans also feature expansive outdoor seating complete with a large beer garden patio and an elevated deck.”
Malph’s Pizza Pub, we are told, takes its name from Rockford Brewing’s Malph’s Premium Beer, a throwback to the lager styles popular in the post-war era.
They have been a longtime member and this month, Wyoming’s Two Guys Brewing will be giving back to the John Ball Zoo by providing the zoo a specialty brew for its Adult Night Out event series.
“To be a part of this is just an honor,” said Two Guys Brewing owner Tom Payne.
Payne said the zoo was one of his family’s main sources of entertainment, especially during their times as a young struggling family.
“We would give the family the gift of a zoo membership,” Payne said. “We would do the Frederik Meijer Gardens, the Public Museum and the zoo. So it was three big bills at Christmas time but we would have entertainment throughout the entire year.”
Payne said they were approached by the zoo about the opportunity for the specialty brews because zoo officials had been impressed in how the brewing company handled the pandemic, working with residents by offering pack-and-go meals and other options.
The Adult Night Out series is designed to give guests age 21 and older the opportunity to experience the zoo at night without any kids. There will be select animal encounters for guests to enjoy, along with beer and wine selections.
Payne said the brewery decided to pair some of its well known beers with the themes of each program. For example, for this Thursday’s program, the John Ball Zoo will be featuring barbecue on its menu, something that Two Guys Brewing offers and that brewery’s IPA Mosaicquest pairs well with.
John Ball Zoo will be hosting six Adult Night Out evenings throughout the summer with Two Guys Brewing pairing a beer with each night’s theme. Besides this Thursday, there will be Adult Night Out events on June 24, July 15 and 29, and August 12 and 26. Each Adult Night Out is from 6 to 9 p.m. The zoo offers four times to enter, 6 p.m., 6:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 6:45 p.m.
Tickets for all dates are available online for $18 for members or $20 for non-members at jbzoo.org/AdultNightOut. Limited tickets are available for each evening, and capacity is limited, so the zoo officials highly recommends reserving tickets before the event. Walk-up tickets are not guaranteed.
John Ball Zoo is located 1300 Fulton St., about a mile west of downtown Grand Rapids. For more information about John Ball Zoo or upcoming activities, visit www.jbzoo.org, call 616-336-4301 or email info@jbzoo.org.
Adults 21 and older have the opportunity to enjoy the John Ball Zoo without children present during the Adult Night Out series. (Supplied)
Tibbits Summer Theatre will open its 58th consecutive season of professional performances on June 16 with a fun and elegant musical theatre revue, The Best of Broadway, at The Ponds of Coldwater.
Last summer while the historic opera house remained shut down due to the pandemic, Tibbits became one of the few theatres in the country to produce a summer theatre season. This year, amid continued uncertainty, presenting outdoors at The Ponds became a certainty from which the theatre could guarantee the best possible season.
In this opening show, professional actors will showcase the greatest hits from Broadway—melodies that are guaranteed to have audiences humming and tapping their toes to the most memorable moments in musicals throughout the ages! With a variety of solos, duets, and ensemble pieces, the performance will showcase selections from classic favorites like Showboat, Hair, and Phantom of the Opera, along with new pieces from Hamilton, Waitress, and Dear Evan Hansen.
This original show is conceived by Tibbits Artistic Director Peter Riopelle and written and compiled by director Charles Burr and musical director Matthew Everingham. Burr and Everingham also collaborated last year to create Sing Happy, A Popped Potpourri, and When Radio Was King.
While Burr has a long list of revues and collaboration on his resume, the process for The Best of Broadway was his first long distance creation. Burr explained, “It began in March with weekly phone meetings to Matthew in New York to create a balanced show that flows seamlessly in (mostly) chronological order. The difference in our ages [40 years] helps create a more comprehensive show. The songs we’ve chosen are great for the performers we have as well as for honoring the best of Broadway.”
Tibbits Summer Theatre will feature a core group of professional company members from across the United States. The Best of Broadway will include veteran Tibbits actors Stephanie Burdick, Liz Davis, Max Gonzalez, Brooke Jackson, and Michael Motkowski along with newcomer Nile Birch. The production will be directed by Charles Burr with music direction and music arrangement by Matthew Everingham. It will feature lighting design by Catie Bencowe, set design by Stephanie Burdick and Peter Riopelle, costume design by Dusti Donbrock, and sound design by Henry Sendek. Lexa Walker leads the technicians as technical director with Rachel Marengere as stage manager, and Josh Rockwell, Scott Pauley, and Leon Kriser rounding out the technical staff.
The Best of Broadway, along with the rest of the 2021 TST Season, is presented through the generous sponsorship support of Coldwater Board of Public Utilities, Vandervoort, Christ & Fisher, P.C.; Parrish Excavating, Inc.; and Frederick Family Dental. Additional sponsors include Coldwater Orthodontics & Aligner Center; Dr. Jon & Seibra Herbener; The Bushouse Family; ASAMA Coldwater Manufacturing; Coldwater Exchange Club; Matthew C. Christopher, DDS; Great Lakes Chiropractic; Honor Credit Union; and Vested Risk Strategies. Additional funding is provided by the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tickets for The Best of Broadway are $28 (including fees) for all seats, with discounts available to Tibbits members. Performances will run June 16, 18, 22, 24 and 25 at 7:30pm and June 17 and 23 at 2pm. Tickets are available online at Tibbits.org, at the Tibbits admin office at 93 W. Chicago St. in Coldwater 9 am to 5 pm weekdays or by calling 517-278-6029.
All summer theatre performances will be held at the beautiful outdoor event pavilion nestled among 30 acres of lush landscaping at The Ponds of Coldwater, just minutes from the historic Tibbits Opera House in downtown Coldwater. Golf carts are provided to transport guests who need assistance from the parking lot to the pavilion. Please note that Tibbits will follow COVID guidelines at the time performances take place. This may still include universal masking while entering and moving throughout the venue as well as social distancing. For more information call or visit Tibbits.org.
The City of Kentwood community last week welcomed the return of the Kentwood Farmers Market, which began its seventh season of bringing food and fun to town, this year on Thursdays, June 3 through Aug. 26, with 20 local vendors and a variety of special activities.
Young and old found something they liked at the opening of the Kentwood Farmers Market last week. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
And market manager Kristina Colby, also a Kentwood recreation program coordinator, could not have been more happy.
“We at the City of Kentwood are so excited to get back around the community with our masks off and see smiling faces,” Colby said to WKTV. “It is great just to get together again and have a good time together.”
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.
The market will provide the community weekly opportunities to buy a variety of goods ranging from fresh produce, baked goods, syrup and cheese, to fresh-cut flowers, coffee and handmade items.
In addition to the range of “farmers market” items for purchase, the market will also offer free classes and special events before or after shopping — on June 10 there will be a meet and greet with animals from John Ball Zoo at 5 p.m.
The Soul Syndicate will kick off the Kentwood concerts on June 24. (Soul Syndicate)
In addition, the just announced City of Kentwood’s Summer Concert Series will occur on several of the market’s Thursday evening nights.
“Six of the markets will actually occur on the same night as the Kentwood Summer Concert Series,” Colby said. “So you come here, get some food, get some snacks, and then stay for a free concert.”
There are also spots available for vendors. Those who are interested can reserve a spot for $10 per day or $50 for the full season. More information about the Kentwood Farmers Market, including vendor applications, is available at KentwoodFarmersMarket.com.
The Mecosta County Visitors Bureau and the River Valley Car Club proudly present Car Fest 2021 Downtown Big Rapids. The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 26, from 1 until 5 p.m.
“It is great being able to start bringing back outside events to the community,” stated Connie Koepke – Executive Director of the Mecosta County Visitors Bureau. “This is also a perfect tie-in with the Big Rapids Air Fest at Roben-Hood Airport taking place earlier in the day from 9:00am-1:00pm. Guests will be able to spend the entire day Exploring the Big Rapids Region not only enjoying both events but local shops, restaurants and maybe even spend the night at a local hotel.”
Sponsors for this year’s event include the Mecosta County Visitors Bureau and media sponsor Big Country 100.9 Radio. The event is facilitated by the River Valley Car Club of Big Rapids.
“On behalf of the River Valley Car Club, we are all excited at being able to bring our prized vehicles back out for not only our own enjoyment but to share them with the public as well,” noted Duey Parsons of the River Valley Car Club. “It’s always thrilling to see these spectacular cars up close as well as engaging in the comradely that goes along with them.”
Other activities happening at the Car Fest 2021 Car Show include a 50/50 raffle, (30) trophy presentations at 4:30pm, live musical performance by Chris Jane from 2:00pm-4pm, food and fun for all! Kids and grownups alike are invited to stop downtown to enjoy the event and all that beautiful downtown Big Rapids has to offer.
If you have a prized vehicle that you would like to enter for a chance at one of the coveted trophies up for grabs, or just enjoy socializing with other car lovers, you can register on the day of the event from noon – 2:00pm in front of TFC Bank. Cost is just $15 per vehicle to enter.
For more details on the first annual Car Fest, you can visit BigRapids.org/CarFest or reach out to Duey Parsons directly at 231-499-8196 with any questions or for more details.
WKTV Community Media has been a broadcast partner with Michigan Golden Gloves for more than two decades, and Bob Serulla has been the announcing part of the team all that time.
So, as the West Michigan Golden Glove Preliminaries begin this weekend at the DeltaPlex Arena, with boxing set to begin Saturday, June 5, at 7 p.m., Bob and the WKTV team will be back ringside as well.
“I started broadcasting boxing 22 years ago for WKTV, and we have built a great team of broadcasters and staff and we put on a first class show,” Serulla said. “It has been a great pleasure watching the young talent grow into professionals and seeing the difference boxing can make in a young life.
“Trainers and coaches that act as mentors for these young men and women should be recognized and thanked for their service to the community. It’s always a pleasure to interview a young fighter and give them a chance to gain confidence grow as a person.”
WKTV’s recording of the bouts of Saturday, June 5, will be rebroadcast on WKTV cable television on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T U-verse 99 on Sunday, June 6, at noon, as well as Wednesday, June 9, at 5 p.m. Video copies of WKTV’s coverage will be available for purchase by emailing kelly@wktv.org or calling 616-261-5700.
Tickets to the June 5 live event are available. The DeltaPlex Arena is located at 2500 Turner Ave. NW, Walker. For more information visit michigangoldengloves.com/events or call 616-784-0862.
The West Michigan Golden Gloves Championships will continue though June and into July, with WKTV there as well.
The West Michigan Semi-Finals will be Saturday, June 12, and airing Sunday, June 13, at noom, and Wednesday, June 16, at 5 p.m.
The West Michigan Finals will be Saturday, June 19, and airing Sunday, June 20, at noon, and Wednesday, June 23, at 5 p.m.
The State Semi-Finals will be Friday, July 9, and airing Saturday, July 10, at 11 a.m., and Wednesday, July 14, at 5 p.m.
The State Finals will be Saturday, July 10, and airing Sunday, July 11, at noon, and Wednesday, July 21, at 5 p.m.
