Buck Matthews - WKTV Journal

By WKTV Staff

Wyoming/Kentwood: Transformando West Michigan

Shawn Kohlhaas, owner of Culinary Cultivations, talks to participants in the Transformando West Michigan program.

The West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce launched its newest intiative Transformando West Michigan, “Feeding Minds, Mouths, and Pockets.” The goal of this program is to provide Hispanic business owners currently working or with the desire to work in the food industry with the necessary financial tools and food safety knowledge to become successful.

The inaugural class kicked off at Gordon Food Service. The class is six sessions over three months with those who complete the program receiving food safety certification required by the health department of any restaurant operator.

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Kentwood: The Vibe gala is coming up

Garrett Bazany in Kentwood’s adapted water ski clinic.

Got your tickets to the Kentwood Parks and Recreation’s The Vibe yet? The event is set for Friday, May 18. The third annual fundraiser benefits the Kentwood’s Adaptive Sports programs, which provide recreation opportunities for individual with disabilities.

Tickets for the semi-formal event are $100 per person and can be purchased online at kentwoodvibe.com or by call 616-656-5270.

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Wyoming: Buck Matthews makes last appearance

Once known as the voice of West Michigan, Buck Matthews is on his farewell tour offering one last piece of advice: write down and share your stories.

Matthews will be at First & Main of Metro Health Village, 6812 Village Dr. SW, Wednesday, May 9, to talk about his latest book, “The Book in Each of Us.” The program is at 2 p.m. In the book, Matthews discuss the experience of writing and encourages others to do the same to share their stories.

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Wyoming: Concerts in the Park schedule announced

The Wyoming Community Enrichment Commission has released its 2018 Concerts in the Park line-up. The series runs from June 5 to Aug. 7. All concert are at 7 p.m. at Lamar Park.

To see the schedule, click here.

West Michigan: Local African-American music scene

A student-produced film on the history of black musicians in Grand Rapids will be shown Thursday, May 10 at Celebration Cinema North, as well as on Xfinity On Demand cable TV beginning the same day.

A student-produced film, “Rhythm and Race: A History of African American Music in Grand Rapids,” on the history of black musicians in Grand Rapids will be shown Thursday, May 10, at Celebration Cinema North, as well as on Xfinity On Demand cable TV beginning the same day. The screening is at 6:30 p.m. followed by a panel discussion.

For more on the story, click here.

Once known as the voice of West Michigan, Buck Matthews is on his farewell tour offering one last piece of advice: write down and share your stories.

Matthews started his career as a disc jockey at a radio station in Marine City, which he took while serving in the U.S. Air Force. In 1961, Matthews was hired as a weatherman for WOOD Radio and WOOD-TV. Ten years later, he launched “The Buck Matthews Show,” which aired weekday mornings on WOOD-TV. The show ran for nine years and featured an array of guests such as poet Maya Angelou, comedians Red Skelton and Phyllis Diller, and musicians Benny Goodman, Pat Boone, Dave Brubeck, and Pearl Bailey.

After retiring from Blue Lake Radio in 1995, Matthews decided to write a book which he did. “Uncommon Women — A Novel” was released on Amazon Kindle.

In 2015, Matthews released his third book, “Getting Here: Thoughts, Stories, Poems, Recollections,” focusing on life in local television and radio and Matthews reflecting on his life plan, which there was none.

Matthews continue to write about his observations on life through his blog, buckmatthews.com.