Celebrate Independence Day at the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Front Row

By Christie Bender
Grand Rapids Public Museum

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) just announced that tickets for the annual Front Row for the Fireworks celebration are on sale now! Join the GRPM for the Independence Day fundraiser on Saturday, July 6, to coincide with the City of Grand Rapids’ fireworks show.

In addition to having the best seats in Grand Rapids for the fireworks, visitors will be able to explore all three floors of the Museum, including the Changing America and TOYS! exhibits, enjoy rides on the 1928 Spillman Carousel, hear patriotic music on the Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ, and see a Chaffee Planetarium show. At dusk, visitors can head outside to the enclosed lawn seating areas or stay inside the Museum for air-conditioned comfort to watch the fireworks as they burst over the Grand River.

During the event, the Museum will offer affordable meal deals and ice cream treats available for purchase.

Tickets for Front Row for the Fireworks are $15 for the general public and $10 for Museum members. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 6. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at grpm.org/FrontRow or by calling the Museum at 616.929.1700.

Sponsor a Child to Attend Front Row for the Fireworks

By sponsoring a child for Front Row for the Fireworks, you are giving local kids in foster care the opportunity to see the fireworks from one of the best viewing locations along the river, bringing a fun and memory-making experience into their lives.

To sponsor a child, visit grpm.org/events/frontrow/.

The GRPM is once again working with Samaritas, West Michigan Ronald McDonald House, D.A. Blodgett St. John’s Home, Bethany Christian Services, Kids Food Basket and Catholic Charities of West Michigan to bring foster children, who might otherwise not be able to attend, downtown to the Museum to enjoy the event. Children can be sponsored with a $15 ticket donation that includes event admission and a meal for the child.

Changing America

This exhibit examines the relationship between two great people’s movements, which both grew out of decades of bold actions, resistance, organization and vision. In addition to artifacts from the GRPM Collections, many artifacts on display are on loan from the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives. Local stories are told through the eyes of our community in the form of oral histories, and the exhibit includes a space for visitors to reflect and share their own story. Find out more at grpm.org/ChangingAmerica

TOYS!

TOYS! is an interactive, multi-generational exhibition of toys and games to rekindle childhood memories and spark the creation of new ones. This GRPM original exhibit features toys and games from the Museum’s Collections and on loan from the community, allowing visitors to imagine, compete and create, while going on a journey of toys through generations. Find out more at grpm.org/Toys.