Rallying for the food trucks

 

The Kentwood Parks and Recreation will host the “Bags & Bites” event Saturday, Oct. 15, at Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Rd. SE. The food truck rally, which will include a cornhole tournament, is from noon to 4 p.m.

 

The event will feature seven different food trucks including Gettin’ Fresh, Two Scotts Barbecue, Big Baby’s Bar-B-Que, Blue Spoon Catering, Patty Matters, Rix Stixs Pronto Pups, and Kentwood’s own River City Cup & Cake. There will be lots to choose fun and a great way to snag lunch or an early dinner.

 

 

They made the songs that everyone loves

 

Lee Shapiro, Jimmy Ryan, Larry Gates, Russ Velazquez and Steve Murphy are not names that are easily recognized but they are some of the people who helped to make some of the most well known songs, well, well known.

 

The Hit Men come to Van Singel Fine Arts, 8500 Burlingame Ave. SW, for a one night-only performance Sunday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. The quintet will perform such hits as “Crocodile Rock,” “You’re So Vain,” “Lets Hang On,” Sherry” and “Who Loves You,” along with sharing stories about some of these hits including how “Oh What a Night” came about.

 

Tickets for the show are $45.50/adults and $25.50/students, high school and younger. For tickets, call 616-878-6800 or visit www.vsfac.com.

 

 

Also to the south of us

 

The Byron Center Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its “Best Community Expo” from 10 am. – 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Byron Center High School, 8500 Burlingame Ave. SW.

 

There will be a free photo booth, prizes, DIY demonstrations and a the Grand Raggidy Roller Derby Girls along with more than 100 exhibition booths. Also A Taste of Byron will be taking place with free food samples. The entire event is free.

 

 

The lure of the tango

 

Here’s a fun fact about the surreal, genre-bending opera “Maria de Buenos Aires”: Even though the international airport in composer Astor Piazzolla’s hometown of Mar del Plata is named in his honor, his biggest single work has hardly been heard there since its debut almost 50 years ago.

 

Luckily the Grand Rapids area has Opera Grand Rapids which will be presenting the “tango opera” at 7: 30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15, at the Betty Van Andel Opera Center, 1320 E. Fulton St. The story centers on the ill-omened Maria who was born “on the day God was drunk.” She is seduced by the music of the tango and heads down a path of darkness.

 

Tickets are $45 at the door and $40 in advance. Both shows include a pre-performance talk at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.operagr.org.

 

 

 

 

It’s Scrumdidilyumptious

 

Head over to Grand Haven where the Central Park Players are kicking off the first of two weekend performances of Ronald Dahl’s “Willy Wonka.”

 

The delicious adventures experienced by Charlie Bucket on his visit to Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory will come to life on the stage of the Grand Haven Community Center, 421 Columbus Ave. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday Oct. 14 – 16 and Oct. 21 – 22. Tickets are $13/adults and $11 for children.

 

 

On a health kick

 

It’s not quite a weekend activity, but the Kentwood Parks and Recreation’s Fall Walking Club will certainly help to keep those weekend “pounds” from adding on.

 

Every Monday, the group meets at 6 p.m. at various locations to walk a trail through Nov. 7. This Monday, Oct. 17, the group will be at the East Paris Nature Trail at Endeavor School, 5757 E. Paris SE. The group meets again on Oct. 24 at the M-6 Trail at Celebration Cinema, skips Oct. 31 and meets again Nov. 7 at the East West Trail near the Kentwood Library, 4950 Breton Rd. SE.