“There are more than 117 million Americans age 50 and older – 35% of the total population. I wanted to do a special show to honor and represent that age group,” says Brian B., founder and MC of the SNF. “This is the second year of special performances to recognize specific groups.
(Courtesy, Brian B.)
“In February, we did our special Black History Month show. In March, it was our Women’s History Month and Gilda’s Club of Grand Rapids LaughFest performances. The SNF is a melting pot of comedians and audience members – different ages, nationalities, so why not honor all the groups that make up the show?”
The Older Americans Month lineup consists of seven different comedians at least 50 years of age. The show will feature former local radio personality Jojo Girard closing out the show. Also featured will be Detroit area comic Kathy Ryan, comedians from Ohio, and various local talent.
“The Sunday Night Funnies has got a big 2024 going on,” said Brian B.
In addition to the the Older Americans Month show, the following Sunday (May 12) will kick off SNF’s seventh annual Kingpin of Comedy competition.
15 years of SNF
The Sunday Night Funnies is the creation of Grand Rapids stand-up comedian Brian B. Now in its 15th year, the SNF is a weekly live stand-up comedy performance featuring over 1,200 performances from comics across Michigan and around the country.
The SNF is a free admission show on Sunday nights at 7:30 p.m. during the winter/spring, and at 8:30 p.m. during summer and early fall. All performances take place at Woody’s Pressbox inside The Spectrum Entertainment Complex in Wyoming.
Beacon Hill Residents at Summer Celebration (Courtesy, Beacon Hill)
By WKTV Staff
deborah@wktv.org
Beacon Hill at Eastgate is inviting members of the community to enjoy live music and curated food during its Summer Celebration, an annual culinary showcase and appreciation event featuring hand-held bites prepared by the retirement community’s award-winning chefs.
The annual event, which has been a tradition for more than 50 years, will take place 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24 on the front lawn at Beacon Hill at Eastgate, 1919 Boston St. SE. Booths will line the parking lot, inviting foodies to enjoy cuisine from the retirement community’s kitchens and gardens that includes everything from global fusion and plant-based delights to bold flavors and gourmet comfort food.
The Moonrays, a Grand Rapids-based band that has opened for B.B. King and other prominent artists, will play a blend of instrumental surf, rock and blues with incredible vintage tone.
Beacon Hill’s food truck, The Traveling Plate, will also be on-site serving dishes from its rotating menu as a part of several dining stations. The Traveling Plate is serving up a culinary adventure this summer 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. each Wednesday outside Beacon Hill.
“The Summer Celebration is one of our favorite ways of thanking our residents, their loved ones and the surrounding community for their support,” Beacon Hill at Eastgate Marketing Director Ashley Edwards said. “Our culinary team has prepared an incredible selection of dishes for this year’s event – and what better way to come together with our neighbors than through carefully curated dishes made using ingredients grown in our own backyard.”
Beacon Hill Summer Celebration (Courtesy, Beacon Hill)
Last year’s event welcomed over 800 attendees. The event is open to the community, and food and beverages are free. Limited on-site parking is available; street parking is available and carpooling is encouraged.
This year’s showcase will feature over a dozen handpicked dishes made from scratch by Beacon Hill’s award-winning chefs and will include a variety of flavors and locally sourced ingredients. Menu items will include homemade mac and cheese bites, freshly prepared smoked sausages, Thai noodle salad, panzanella salad, meatballs, watermelon and berries, a full dessert station and much more.
Beacon Hill has a strong commitment to local ingredients, relying on its half-acre community garden to supply produce for its imaginative and appetizing meals that are acclaimed by guests and visitors alike. When the Beacon Hill chefs can’t produce ingredients themselves, they source from local purveyors, such as AP Baked Goods, Field and Fire, Louise Earl Butcher and Rowsters.
Nestled in the heart of the vibrant Eastgate neighborhood, Beacon Hill at Eastgate is home to four restaurants, which include an upscale Dining Room, Club Room, Garden Café and Bistro – all featuring world-class cuisine made using ingredients grown on-site. Each one has favorite dishes that are always available, as well as ever-changing daily and seasonal specials. Beacon Hill’s Garden Café and Bistro are open to the public.
Beacon Hill Residents at Summer Celebration (Courtesy, Beacon Hill)
Beacon Hill’s Summer Celebration started in the 1970s as the Strawberry Festival, a fundraising event organized by the Women’s Auxiliary of Michigan Christian Home, the name under which Beacon Hill at Eastgate was originally established. The Strawberry Festival raised thousands of dollars for the retirement community through the sale of homemade strawberry shortcake, sundaes and other treats. Since then, the Strawberry Festival has shifted to a culinary showcase paid for by Beacon Hill to thank its residents, their loved ones and the community for their support.
“What started as a fundraiser organized by a small group of volunteers has blossomed into a community-favorite tradition that has brought together thousands of new and old friends for evenings full of great food and entertainment,” Edwards said. “Decades later, the Summer Celebration upholds the original event’s mission of using exceptional, homemade food to build community and enrich the lives of our residents and neighbors.”
To learn more about Beacon Hill’s Summer Celebration, click here.
About Beacon Hill at Eastgate
Beacon Hill at Eastgate is home, family and security, dedicated to engaging seniors in an active and fulfilling retirement. Its state-of-the-art campus is a life plan retirement community that offers the complete continuum of care on one campus, including independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing and rehabilitation. Beacon Hill integrates a more highly defined service model characterized by best practices in the areas of social and clinical services with excellence in hospitality.
Volunteers with trash pulled from Buck Creek 2021 (Courtesy, Martha Stout Vermeulen)
By Deborah Reed
deborah@wktv.org
Volunteers of all ages are welcome to meet at Lemery Park in Wyoming at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 to help remove trash from Buck Creek during the family-friendly 10th Annual Buck Creek Clean Up event.
Event team leaders will assist in finding sites that meet volunteer needs and will provide necessary information.
“It has been said that an individual’s effort is a single drop, but when a community gives effort, it is a tsunami,” said Martha Stout Vermeulen, Founder and former President of Friends of Buck Creek-Michigan (FOBC).
Trash lines a portion of Buck Creek near an EJ manufacturing facility (Courtesy, Martha Stout Vermeulen)
FOBC began as a grassroots group of concerned citizens that has evolved into a nonprofit watershed organization with hundreds of followers on Facebook and Instagram. FOBC’s focus is to inspire, initiate, promote, and engage in activities that improve and enhance both the environmental quality and the beauty of Buck Creek.
Over the past decade, Friends of Buck Creek-Michigan (FOBC) and Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited (SWMTU) have partnered to remove trash from the Buck Creek watershed in Grandville by organizing the annual Buck Creek Clean Up. On Aug. 19, current FOBC President Becky Dykhuis will extend the clean up into Kentwood and Byron Township.
Volunteer numbers have grown steadily since the event’s inception, with several tons of trash removed from the rare urban trout stream’s waters. Tires, shopping carts, microwaves, 55 gallon drums, and scary-looking dolls are only a few items removed from the creek.
The most frequent, and toxic, trash recovered is plastic and styrofoam.
A portion of Buck Creek after clean up near an EJ manufacturing facility (Courtesy, Martha Stout Vermeulen)
Vermeulen says she has observed several benefits resulting from the annual clean up, and a definite reduction in trash in areas that have been frequently cleaned.
“Getting citizens up close and personal with Buck Creek reveals problems that a disposable society creates, and increases awareness to reduce and reuse,” said Vermeulen. “Indeed, it takes a community to love a creek!”
