KDL Wyoming - WKTV Journal

By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributing Writer

Finally it feels like Spring, and just in time for Earth Day.

This weekend’s Top 5 includes theater, rock ‘n’ roll, a book sale and a special Earth Day Party with Quillbur?

Want to learn more? Check out my Top 5, which you can find exclusively on WKTV Journal.

Gonzo’s Top 5

Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish

Grand Rapids rock, blues and rockabilly duo Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, celebrates the release of a new album with a show Saturday at Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids. The new, self-titled album “is quite different from other releases as it has more instruments and attitude,” Jesse Ray said in an interview on John Sinkevics’ localspins.com. “Where (2016’s) ‘Angry’ was just angry for the sake of a young man’s anger, the new record is more complicated and emotional with the occasional outburst.” The bill also includes Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps and The Local Commuters. Tickets are $15 and available online. Doors open at 7 p.m. More info on the Facebook event page.

Van Andel Arena

Downtown Grand Rapids is going to be busy this weekend with a couple big shows at Van Andel Arena. Comedian Katt Williams ( “The House Next Door; Meet the Blacks 2,” “Meet the Blacks”) performs at 8 p.m. Saturday (April 23) and rock band Shinedown performs at 7 p.m. Sunday (April 24). More details at vanandelarena.com.

Both KDL Kenwood and Wyoming libraries are hosting book sales this Saturday.

Friends of the Library Used Book Sale

The Kent District Library Kentwood Branch and Wyoming Branch both feature book sales from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday (April 23) where book enthusiasts will find bargains galore. The Kentwood Branch is located at 4950 Breton SE. The Wyoming Branch is located at 3350 Michael Ave. SW. More details at kdl.org.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Master Arts Theatre in Grand Rapids is presenting “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” with shows April 21-23, April 28-30 and May 5-7. Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame showcases the film’s Academy Award-nominated score, as well as new songs by Menken and Schwartz. According to Master Arts, “Peter Parnell’s new book embraces story theatre and features verbatim passages from Hugo’s gothic novel.” Learn more at www.masterarts.org.

Blandford Nature Center hosts a birthday party for Quillber, a North American Porcupine. (Supplied)

Blandford Nature Center – Earth Day

As part of Earth Day Week, Blandford Nature Center in Grand Rapids is having a Birthday Party for two of its wildlife ambassadors – Archimedes, who is a long-eared owl, and Quillber, a North American Porcupine. In a program from 1-2 p.m. Saturday, you’ll hear their stories and learn about what makes each of them special. Organizers said you can “snap a close-up of silly Archimedes before heading out on the trails to take Quillber for a birthday stroll through the woods.” Admission is free this month to Blandford, but admission to the party is $7 for members, $10 for non-members and free to those ages 2 and younger. You can register at https://www.blandfordnaturecenter.org/events/earth-day-birthdays/?occurrence=2022-04-23.

Blandford Nature Center is located at 1715 Hillburn Ave NW. Learn more about Blandford nature trails an http://blandfordnaturecenter.org/

That’s it for now.

As always, I welcome your input and recommendations for events to include in my Top 5 list. If you have something for me to consider, just send me an email at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

Have a great, safe Easter weekend.

John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

By Anna Devarenne
WKTV Intern

The featured KDL books for this month focus on two teenagers both bent on getting what they want — one seeks revenge while the other seeks a boyfriend.

Award winning young adult author, Jason Reynolds, writes “Long Way Down”–a compelling novel of free verse poetry.

The story follows the life of 15-year-old Will and his inner turmoil when dealing with the recent death of his brother, who was recently shot in their neighborhood streets.

As the story begins to unfold, Will heads down the seven floors of his apartment building, on his way to seek revenge for his brother’s murder.

He is then joined by ghosts of his past at each floor the elevator stops at. As the elevator travels downward, the ghosts help Will to realize that his plan for revenge may not be as clear a picture as he assumed it would be.

Reynold’s novel addresses gun violence in a chilling yet powerful way. In a 2017 interview with NPR, he remarked that “it’s about us, a community, thinking about those of our family members and our friends who we’ve already lost to this thing, and allow their haunting to be the thing that creates our psyche and our conscience.”

Another absorbing Young Adult novel that KDL Youth Librarian Courtnei Moyses suggests is “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by Maurene Goo.

The story follows the lovable protagonist, Desi Lee, and her journey as a high school senior.

After many attempts at flirting that turn into failures, adorably awkward Desi turns to the Korean Dramas on TV that she watches with her dad. She realizes that all K-Dramas have a special equation that they follow that consistently results in the boy falling in love with the girl.

Desi decides to implement these steps when she meets the artistic, mysterious, new boy at school named Luca. This plan to get a boyfriend works for a while, but soon things begin to go wrong.

Both of Goo’s most popular novels, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” and “The Way You Make Me Feel,” feature strong father daughter relationships, which is appealing yet hard to find in most Young Adult fiction. As a Korean woman herself, Goo also features strong Asian girls as the protagonists in her novels.

For more great reads and other suggestions, visits your local KDL branch or visit kdl.org.