Cutlerville-Gaines Area Chamber of Commerce

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

A packed house for last year’s South Kent Community Expo has lead to four community organizations hosting the event again this year.

The South Kent Community Expo is set for this Saturday, Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the East Kentwood High School, 6230 Kalamazoo Ave. SE. Hosted by the City of Kentwood, the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce, Cutlerville-Gaines Area Chamber of Commerce and Kentwood Public Schools, the Expo features more than 80 different community business vendors.

Along with those vendors, there will be safety demonstrations by Kentwood Police and Fire Departments, said Kentwood Parks and Recreation Marketing and Events Coordinator Laura Barbrick. The two departments are scheduled to demonstrate cutting a car in half to show how police and fire personnel train for emergency rescues. There also will be family activities and a job fair.

“The job fair includes companies and organizations looking to fill part-time and full-time positions,” said Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department Assistant Director Lorraine Beloncis. “Many businesses are expanding their job force. This event is a great way to connect companies hiring with people looking for jobs.”

According to Bob O’Callagan, president/CEO of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, the expo is designed to bring in a representation of businesses and organizations in the Wyoming, Kentwood, Gaines and Cutlerville areas. Products and services that will be highlighted include financial planning, retail, medical, home improvement an entertainment.

The concept for the South Kentwood Community Expo came about last year, according to O’Callagahn.

“The Kentwood Parks and Recreation department hosted a health expo and they were running out of space at the location they were at along with the fact that we at the chamber and Cutlervile-Gaines have hosted similar events in the past,” O’Callaghan said. “Coming together, we felt that we had more options and a better opportunity to reach a broader range of residents.”

By combining efforts, the South Kent Community Expo last year drew residents from all over to the East Kentwood High School and this year’s expo also is expected to be well attended.

“The South Kent Community Expo highlights the best our community has to offer,” Beloncis said. “You’ll have the opportunity to support local businesses, taste different cuisines, see who is hiring and experience fun cultural events throughout the day. There really is a little bit of everything.”

The event is free and open to the community. Information is available online at www.yourkprd.org or www.southkent.org.

Several community organizations — covering four municipalities — have come together to host the first South Kent Community Expo, which is set for this Saturday, Oct. 1.

The Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department, Kentwood Public Schools, the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce and the Cutlerville-Gaines Area Chamber of Commerce are hosting the expo which runs from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the East Kentwood High School, 6230 Kalamazoo Ave. SE. The event is free.

“The Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department hosted a health expo and they were running out of space at the location they were at along with the fact that we at the chamber and Cutlerville-Gaines have hosted expos in the past,”said Bob O’Callaghan, president/CEO of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, as he talked about how the idea for the South Kent Community Expo came about. “Coming together, we felt that we had more options and a better opportunity to reach a broader range of residents.”

The expo is designed to bring in a representation of businesses and organizations in the Wyoming, Kentwood, Gaines and Cutlerville areas. About 80 different vendors are expected to be at the event representing a variety of groups from health care to financial.

“We do not have a lot of duplicate businesses,” O’Callaghan said. “We have a variety of services along with organizations that provide products. It’s a nice representation and should meet about anyone’s tastes or needs.”

Mixed in will be several local restaurants and food stores that will be providing tastings of some of the items they offer. There also will be outside activities that include demonstrations from fire and rescue.

Kentwood Public Schools will be providing a variety of cultural activities, which O’Callaghan said organizers hope will help draw people to the expo.

Being the first year, O’Callaghan said it is hard to predict how many people will attend. A lot depends on the weather, however; being that the event is free, organizers are expecting somewhere between 2,000 – 3,000 participants.