Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.
Oh how we hate to start off by being the bearer of bad news, but according to state law, fireworks are allowed June 29 – July 4. So if you are planning to light up the skies this weekend, don’t. If you get caught, you could face upwards of a $1,000 civil fine. For more on the rules and how to prepare your pets, click here.
Give Some Love to Local Businesses
Independents Week starts Saturday. Hosted by LocalFirst, this special event celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit by supporting local businesses who could use a lot of love right now after being closed for 10 weeks or more. Starting on Monday are different themes each day to help inspire residents on how they can be supportive. For more information, click here.
Feeding the mind and the stomach
The KDL Kentwood, Kelloggsville, and Wyoming branches will all be offering the Meet Up and Eat Up program. a free lunch program for K-12 students. (WKTV).
The Kent District Library announced it has expanded the Meet Up and Eat Up summer food program for K-12 students. Students can visit one of 12 KDL branches such as Kentwood, Wyoming or Kelloggsville, and receive a free meal. Click here for more information. Kent ISD has announced the program Summer Brain Gain for students in K-12. The program is designed help students stay sharp over the summer and avoid the usual knowledge drain that happens when students are out of school for a long period of time. The program is offered through Aug. 7. For more, click here.
An early design to provide cool air to car passengers. (Wikipedia)
Fun Fact
When the temperatures and humidity are high, we all enjoy a little cool air as we drive around in our automobiles. We have Detroit’s Packard Motor Car Company to thank for this luxury. In 1939, the company was the first automobile manufacturer to offer an air conditioning option. Made by Bishop and Babcock (B&B) of Cleveland, Ohio, the units were large, taking up half the trunk space. The system also was not reliable and had no temperature control. The option was discontinued in 1941 with other companies eventually perfecting the air condition option for cars. While air conditioning (amongst other things) has become a standard on today’s automobile that was not always the case about 40 years ago. Air conditions partly become popular because it was more aerodynamic for the car windows to be closed while going down the road then opened to cool off the riders.
While fireworks and local community events may not be happening this July 4th, there is still a way for area residents to celebrate the nation’s birthday and give a little love to local businesses.
This year, LocalFirst has put together its first Independents Week, June 27 – July 4. The event, started by the American Independent Business Alliance or AMIBA, is designed to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirt by showcasing local businesses.
“We actually started working on this way before COVID,” said LocalFirst Marketing Manager Mieke Stoub during an interview with the WKTV Journal. “We had plans to make this something really big, but COVID had other plans.”
Area businesses have faced a lot of twists and turns as the state grappled with dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, which lead to many businesses being shutdown for at least 10 weeks. With public gatherings restricted and the future being decided on an almost day-by-day basis, LocalFirst staff were not certain if they could even host Independents Week.
“That has definitely been the name of the game – Pivoting in this fast past ever changing world when we don’ know quite what tomorrow’s news is going to be,” Stoub said. “We didn’t know that our businesses, if some of them would even be open at this point.”
The road has been rough for all businesses, especially the small locally owned ones.
“Our local businesses work on such thin margins,” Stoub said, adding that for restaurants, they need to be at a 100 percent capacity in order to make a profit. “So for the economy to come to a screeching halt that it has, it’s really a scary time for businesses and they need us to show up.”
With all the craziness and the fact that many businesses lost so much during the shutdown, LocalFirst recognized the need to host an event focused on independent business owners. So the work began to turn the Independents Week into a virtual event.
“We decided to make it super flexible, making it online as much as possible and really point people to local businesses and their social media to see the most recent updates,” Stoub said.
Show some love to a local business by visiting or purchasing a gift card. (Supplied)
To help area residents, LocalFirst created different themes for each day. Starting Monday, the themes are:
Monday, June 29: Show Love Today: This is a day to write a review for a local business, such as Wyoming’s Lindo Mexico or Kentwood’s Schuler Books & Music. You could also tag a local business in your social media to show your support.
Tuesday: June 30: Show Love Tomorrow: This is an opportunity to support to a business by purchasing a gift card to use in the future, especially a business, such as Celebration! Cinema, that has not opened yet. Stoub also suggested making a hair appointment with a local stylist or for those planning to do some decorating, contacting some of the local home decor businesses such as Grand Rapids’ Verhey Carpets.
Wednesday, July 1: Let Someone Else Cook: Who doesn’t like a night off from cooking? Well there are a lot of great local restaurants, such as Wyoming’s Lindo Mexico and Grand Rapids’ Daddy Pete’s BBQ, offering in-dining and takeout. Many area food trucks, such as the Patty Matters, also are operating and are easy to find through their websites and social media.
Thursday, July 2: Retail Therapy: The Greater Grand Rapids area also has many locally owned shops from Rockford’s Aunt Candy’s Toy Shop to the area’s longtime sports shop Bill & Paul’s Sporthaus. Head over to The Mudroom and make a plate, browse the shelves at Kentwood’s Schuler Books & Music, or grab a few cans from Kentwood’s Broad Leaf Local Beer.
Saturday, July 4: Grill Out: What is July 4th without grilling out? You could hit a number of the area farmers markets such as the Fulton Street Farmer’s Market or a family-owned one such as Belding’s Heffron Farms to collect up on your goodies. Byron Meats now offers the HarvestBox where you can order a selection of beef, pork, or chicken. Also there are a number of area businesses that offer packaged meals — both ready-to-cook and cooked — to making the day a little more relaxing. Remember with the holiday, you may need to pre-order items.
Stoub emphasized that Independents Week is really a launch pad to help inspire residents on ways they can support local businesses. Spending local is important, she said because for about every dollar spent, 68 cents stays within the community. This in turns helps produce more local jobs and creates economic stability.
“Our businesses are excited about Independents Week,” Stoub said. “They are excited about just being open.”
Many of the local business owners are nervous as the future still remains uncertain. They are also making sure to follow all Kent County Health Department and Center for Disease Control guidelines.
“The important thing is our businesses need us to show up and that is what we can do right now,”
For more about Independents Week, LocalFirst or how spending local benefits the community, visit localfirst.org.
Fall is a beautiful season in West Michigan as the air becomes cooler and leaves on the trees transform from green to orange, red and yellow. With West Michigan being home to the Fruit Ridge – one of the best fruit-growing regions in the world – there is an abundance of orchards and farms to explore and plenty of apples and fresh cider to enjoy during the fall season.
We talked to Fruit Ridge Markets to find out where some of the best spots are in West Michigan for fun fall activities. From hayrides to pumpkin patches to donuts and cider, the following farms have you covered.
Ed Dunneback & Girls Farm
Located just a few minutes north of downtown Grand Rapids, Ed Dunneback & Girls Farm offers a variety of fall activities for the entire family, including a corn maze and pumpkin patch. If you’re craving something sweet, stop by the bakery to pick up fresh donuts and turnovers. Don’t forget some apples when you stop by – there’s a variety to choose from including honey crisp, gala, red delicious and many more. For hours and more information, visit dunnebackfarm.com.
Schwallier’s Country Basket
Take a quick road trip over to the heart of Fruit Ridge in Sparta to visit Schwallier’s Country Basket. The farm features a market, complete with giant corn maze, petting farm, pumpkin patch, cow train and wagon rides. Schwallier’s also grows over 15 varieties of apples. While U-pick season is officially over, you can still grab some apples from the market. For more information, visit schwalliers.com.
Wells Orchards
If you’re looking to stock up on apples, make sure stop by Wells Orchards, located southwest of Grand Rapids between Grandville and Standale. You can also find pumpkins and varieties of squash. Satisfy your sweet tooth with homemade apple pies and apple dumplings. You can also pick up freshly squeezed cider, jams and butter, and fresh popcorn. Visit wellsorchards.com for more details and hours.
Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery
Open all year round, Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery is a special destination for apples, donuts and activities for the entire family located just off of East Beltline. Growing over 35 varieties of apples, Robinette’s offers plenty of apples, apple cider and more than 20 wines and hard ciders. Although U-pick season is over, you can still purchase apples from Robinette’s store and find a variety of sweets including donuts, pastries and more. If your family is feeling adventurous, check out the giant jumping pillow or explore the corn maze. For more information, visit robinettes.com.
Fruit Ridge Hayrides
Enjoy a variety of farm activities with family and friends at Fruit Ridge Hayrides located in Kent City. Take in the fall colors on a horse-drawn wagon ride, explore the corn maze, visit the petting zoo, take a pony ride or pick out the perfect pumpkin for your jack-o-lantern. You can also purchase apples and enjoy fresh apple cider and homemade donuts. Fruit Ridge Hayrides also offers a variety of year-round activities like horse-drawn sleigh rides and cozy campfires during the winter months. Check out everything Fruit Ridge Hayrides has to offer at fruitridgehayrides.com.
It’s not too late to savor these last few weeks of fall before the snow flies. For a full list of orchards and farms, visit fruitridgemarket.com/farm-markets to find a location near you.
Social consciousness is the new buzzword in the business world with many companies touting how they are making a difference either environmentally or socially. But how do consumers know that a business is actually making good on these promises? Well, if they are like Kentwood’s Valley City Electronic Recycling (VCER), they go through the rigorous process to be B Corp certified.
“Valley City Electronic Recycling is an electronic recycling and data security company,” said VCER President Jason Kehr. “I have always believed in what B Corp stands for and thought that our company would fit very nicely under that umbrella.”
B Corporation or B Lab certification is a private certification issued to for-profit companies by B Lab, a global nonprofit organization. Through its certification process, companies must not only show that they are reaching its social and environmental goals, but show it is having an overall positive impact.
A Valley City Electronic Recycling employee disassembles various electronic items.
“We qualified by taking the B Corp assessment test as the first step,” Kehr said. “The test covers various components of your organization: your social and environmental advocacy, your work force development and how you conserve resources.”
Because local businesses tend to be more socially and environmentally aware, one of the biggest advocates for B Corp certification has been LocalFirst.
“B Corp is certification that businesses can achieve by taking assessments that measure their social, environmental and community impact and they can use that when marketing their project or service and it really shows the community, their customers, their stakeholders that the business is committed to social and environmental responsibility with their operations and business practices,” said Hanna Schulze, development manager for LocalFirst.
B Corp has a set of performance standards and legal structures that assures a consumer that what a company says it is doing is what it is doing.
“When you go into a store and you see a million types of ketchup, many of which say ‘all natural.’ But what does that mean?” Schulze said. “But when you see one that says certified organic, there are certain standards that a food item has to hit or have to be in order to be certified as organic by the USDA.You are making a decision knowing what is in that food. B Corp certification is similar to that.”
Some computers are refinished for resale.
Valley City Electronic Recycling set its sights on becoming a B Corp since through its work process the company was already achieving many of its environmental and social goals. Of course the very nature of the company, recycling electronic components, helps the environment.
“We have always employed the people, planet, profit model of business and it fits very nicely in our industry but it is also evident in some of the other things we do as a company, one being hiring returning citizens,” Kehr said.
Valley City Electronic Recycling is among an elite group since there are only about a couple dozen B Corps in Michigan, of which 19 are located in West Michigan. To remain in that group, Valley City will have to go through recertification every three years.
“It’s good for our customers in a sense that it further educates our customers in the community as to what our core values are as a company and how those core values drive our business,” Kehr said. “It is really an educational play for the community. They don’t even know that recycling electrics is even a thing. They know they shouldn’t throw it in the landfill but at the same time they don’t know what those outlets are and B Corp will help us get that info out to more people.”
To learn more about Valley City Electronic Reycycling, visit valleycityer.com. For more about B Corps, visit LocalFirst’s website localfirst.com.
There was a time when if you needed a contractor or someone to clean your house, you simply flipped open the phonebook. But with the popularity of the Internet, many have turned to online service directories to find that person, working to narrow the lists down to someone within your area.
LocalFirst recently launched its own online business directory available at LocalFirst.com, which allows residents to connect to local contractors and service providers.
“LocalFirst works with hundreds of local businesses throughout the West Michigan area,” said LocalFirst Marketing Manager Mieke Stoub. “We also work with the consumer. We try to educate the consumer on why supporting local matters. The directory is a nice way to bring those two sides together to connect the consumer with the services that they need.”
Annually, LocalFirst produces a paper directory that is available for free at a number of locations such as the LocalFirst office, 345 Fuller NE and the WKTV station, 5261 Clyde Park SW.
“So there are some old-fashioned folks, myself included, who really like the tactical feel and this is at least a little more approachable than the Yellow Pages,” Stroub said, adding that the paper directory is separated into categories with an index.
The online directory is a little bit more searchable with categories, but since not every business has a category, there is also a search bar where people cantype in any sort of keyword they might need, Stoub said.
“So if you are looking for plants or consignment or clothing, you can type those search terms in and a bunch of businesses will pop up,” she said.
The directory also pulls in Google Maps making it easy for visitors to find the businesses they are looking for. The online business directory is also easier to update for when members move, have an expansion or just change their phone number, she said.
“Our membership base expands from here to the Lakeshore and as far north as Muskegon and as far south as Saugatuck, so there is somebody in your neighborhood no matter where you are,” Stoub said.
To check out the business directory, visit LocalFirst.com.
May is full of some amazing things. Voters for Godfrey-Lee Public Schools pass a sinking millage for the district and the 28th Street Metro Cruise Dust-Off took place. The local farmers markets are preparing to open with Metro Health Farm Market underway and the Kentwood Farmers Market set to start in June.
Speaking of June, the 49th Annual Festival of the Arts is just around the corner on June 1, 2, and 3 in downtown Grand Rapids. A celebration of the arts, the event recently hired an interim director, David Abbott, who stopped by the station to talk about his story of Festival. Also stopping by was LocalFirst Marketing Manager Mieke Stoub who talks to us about how to search the LocalFirst directory to help with a range of needs from spring cleaning to lawn care.
Bringing together and celebrating the good that locally-owned businesses have done for the Greater Grand Rapids has been an initiative that LocalFirst has been focused on in the past year.
Recently, the organization celebrated its Good for Grand Rapids campaign by announcing the eight top-scoring businesses that received Good for Grand Rapids Awards. Two of which were from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas: Lindo Mexico received a Good For Employees and Celebration! Cinema received a Good for Community.
LocalFirst Marketing Manager Mieke Stroub was on the WKTV Journal to talk about the impact of the awards with host Donna Kidner-Smith.
“It is to bring together and celebrate companies that are using businesses for good,” Stroub said about the Good for Grand Rapids. “And what that means is that they are being good to their employees; they are giving back to the community; they are creating high quality and more jobs for the people that live here.”
Businesses that participated took a quick impact assessment that is available on the LocalFirst website. Stroub said a business owner or someone very familiar with the business could do the assessment which would take anywhere from a half hour to an hour to complete.
“The assessment is industry specific,” Stroub said. “A restaurant is going to have different questions than a PR company. So the business owners who go in and take it only have questions relevant to them.”
More than 70 different business participated in the program. From the Wyoming and Kentwood areas that includes Daddy’s Dough and JoJo’s House of Beauty along with Lindo Mexico and Celebration! Cinema.
Participating in the program not only gives business insight into what they are doing well and what they need to improve upon, but another tool to attract high, quality talent to the West Michigan area, Stroub said.
LocalFirst Marketing Manager Mieke Stroub
“A common challenge across industries is talent or acquiring talent,” she said. “As we are noticing, the work force that is entering, they want to work for a company that they are proud of. They want to work for a company that pays attention to social issues, that gives back to its community. We are giving businesses the tools that they need to facilitate that.”
Along with the assessment, LocalFirst is also offering a series of workshops focused on helping business with their sustainability efforts. Information on the first three Good for Grand Rapids workshops are now available on the LocalFirst website along with other events such as mixers to get to know those who are in LocalFirst and have taken the Good for Grand Rapids assessment.
In the latest episode of the WKTV Journal, we head over to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park to celebrate the work of artist Beverly Pepper. The Gardens has an exhibition of Pepper’s work, “Drawn Into Form: Sixty Years of Drawings and Prints by Beverly Pepper,” up through April 29.
Recently the Vietnamese community came together to celebrate Tet, the Vietnamese New Year and we spend some time with KDL Executive Director Lance Werner who talks about being named Michigan’s first Librarian of the Year by the Library Journal. Also in this newscast, LocalFirst’s Mieke Stroub talks about the Good for Grand Rapids campaign and the West Michigan Tourist Association’s Courtney Sheffer gives us some more tips and ideas on budget friendly places in West Michigan.
The WKTV Journal airs on WKTV Channel 25 Mondays at 9 p.m., Tuesdays at 7 p.m., and Fridays at 10 a.m.
For 15 years, LocalFirst has been helping local businesses become stronger and educating consumers on why supporting local businesses matter. This Thursday, the organization will host its 8th Annual Meeting at the Goei Center.
According to LocalFirst Marketing Manager Mieke Stoub, the annual meeting will focus on the 2017 accomplishments of LocalFirst and what the organization’s plans are for 2018. Much of this will be included in LocalFirst Executive Director Elissa Hillary’s State of LocalFirst address. Also at the meeting, LocalFirst will be kicking off it year’s worth of programming to celebrate its 15th anniversary.
“So we are really excited about that change of events,” Mieke said. “We also just see a happier group of people because they are supporting a local business.”
Stoub said the meeting is an excellent opportunity for community members to learn more about LocalFirst, which is an economic development non-profit, and its mission of supporting local businesses.
“Anyone is welcomed to attend and join us,” Mieke said. “Anyone who is new to LocalFirst, members, people of the general public..we would love it if visitors to our community were able to attend.”
Those not able to attend this Thursday’s event, on Feb. 8 will be the Lakeshore Annual Meeting and LocalMotion Awards at the CityFlats Hotel, 61 E. 7th St., Holland.
“We are moving our LocalMotion Awards out to the Lakeshore,” Stoub said. “Typically that has been a part of the annual meeting in Grand Rapids. This year we are honoring our Lakeshore businesses for being a force for good.”
Tickets for both the annual meeting in Grand Rapids and the one in the Lakeshore are each $40 pre-sale and $50 for at the door. For more information about LocalFirst and any of its upcoming events, visit www.localfirst.com.
Local First featured Uccello’s Hospitality Group back in October when we were gearing up for Fork Fest. Now that we’ve all had a chance to digest a bit, we thought it would be a perfect time to highlight the group’s newest additions, Mazzo Cucina D’Italia.
Mazzo opened last May with a Farm-to-Table menu and a team-centered focus. Using locally-sourced ingredients, the Mazzo staff works together to create menu items and special features. The results of which benefit not only the restaurant patrons, but also give them employees something to brag about.
“When they can see their ideas work and become successful they become more engaged and excited about their work and their future with Mazzo,” says Brittany Knoch, director of marketing.
The team came together first to decide the layout of the newly remodeled space. Knoch recalls the careful placement of the wood fired pizza oven, an essential part of Uccello’s legendary pizza.
“It was fully constructed when it shipped to us,” remembers Knoch. “We needed to use a crane just to lift it off the ground. With its mammoth size, we decided to knock out the front windows and the crane just dropped it right in.”
The windows have since been replaced and Mazzo has made a cozy home on Monroe Center. They’re excited for the Holiday season, which will make great use of their event space, Atrium at Mazzo, and even more excited to celebrate 2017 at New Year’s Eve at Mazzo.
Local First will host the second Lakeshore Fork Fest, presented by Coppercraft Distillery, on September 28 from 6-8:30 pm. This event, also held in Grand Rapids each fall, celebrates the local food system. Attendees will have the opportunity to talk with food and beverage vendors and learn about ways to shift their dollars to strengthen the local food economy.
“Food naturally brings people together,” said Elissa Hillary, President of Local First. “Fork Fest helps the community bond with the people behind the agricultural abundance in West Michigan. It nurtures our connection to place.”
Each vendor will offer samples of their menu, which are included in the cost of admission. Chef Kelsey of Coppercraft and Chef Matthew of the Southerner will perform live cooking demonstration with ingredients from Visser Farms and Louise Earl Butcher. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch each chef prepare the dish and taste the finished product. Adult beverages will be available for purchase at the event.
Photo supplied
“We’re really excited to be involved with Fork Fest again,” said Paul Marantette, Restaurant & Tasting Room Manager of Coppercraft. “Farm-to-table and grain-to-glass are our main messages, so this event means a lot to us.”
Fork Fest welcomes folk musician Megan Dooley, a Kalamazoo native, and the Holland Arts Council, who will bring their ArtCart for the kids. Complimentary valet provided by At Your Service Valet.
In addition to connecting the community to the people who feed it, Fork Fest is an annual fundraiser for the Local First Educational Foundation. Each year, the Education Foundation hosts this and other events such as the Lakeshore Street Party and the Measure What Matters workshops to lead the development of an economy grounded in local ownership that meets the basic needs of people, builds local wealth and social capital, functions in harmony with our ecosystem, and encourages joyful community.
Food vendors
Country Winds Farm, Goat Share + Creamery
Cultured Love
Distinctive Dining Solutions
Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars – Holland
Heffron Farms
JK’s Bakehouse & Deli
Lemonjello’s Coffee
Sandy Point Beach House
The Southerner
Thornburg and Company
Entertainment
Live music from Megan Dooley
Cooking demonstrations by Coppercraft and The Southerner
Holland Area Arts Council’s ArtCart
Beverages for purchase from
Coppercraft Distillery
Farmhaus Cider Co.
Fenn Valley Winery
Tripelroot
Event Details
Tuesday, September 28
6:00-8:30pm
Coppercraft Distillery, 184 120th Avenue, Holland, MI 49423
Admission: $30 presale; $35 at the door; free for kids 10 and under
The sweet potato — a perennial holiday meal favorite — is one of only a few cultivated vegetable crops with origins in the Americas. Traced back to 8000 B.C. Peru, it’s neither a potato nor a yam but a rooted tuber and member of the morning glory family.
Prep
To prepare sweet potatoes, simply scrub the skin clean using a vegetable brush and running water to remove any dirt and grime. Then cut away any damaged areas.
Store
Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place for up to several weeks. Do not store in plastic or refrigerate. Temperatures below 50 degrees will cause off-flavors, and excess moisture will encourage sweet potatoes to rot or sprout prematurely. Resist the urge: Do not scrub clean or wash until just before preparation.
Cook
Sweet potatoes taste great baked, boiled, steamed, grilled or mashed.
Interested in trying new sweet potato recipes?
Highlighted this week: roasted pumpkin and sweet potato pilau, crispy sweet potato wedges, curried sweet potato apple soup and honey-roasted sweet potatoes with honey-cinnamon dip. Below is the recipe for Extra-crispy Sweet Potato Wedges. Get the other recipes.
Extra Crispy Sweet Potato Wedges
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled (or unpeeled, if you like skin) and cut into wedges
2-½ tablespoons olive oil
1-½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with tinfoil (shiny side up); place baking rack onto prepared baking sheet; set aside. Peel the sweet potatoes (if preferred) and cut off the pointy ends. Slice the sweet potatoes in half (lengthwise), then cut each piece into wedges. Place the sweet potato wedges in a large bowl, then add in the olive oil, salt, sugar, seasoning, and black pepper.
Mix well, making sure each wedge is coated with oil and spices. Arrange the sweet potato wedges in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn on the broiler and bake for another 3-5 minutes, or until they’re well browned and crispy. Keep an eye here – it’s easy to burn when the broiler is on! Cool wedges on pan for 5 minutes, then serve at once.
Brewery Vivant will be the presenting sponsor at Grand Rapids Fork Fest this year and LocalFirst is excited for the brewery/restaurant to participate in this festival of local food and beverage entrepreneurs.
This year the popular event returns to Romence Gardens, 265 Lakeside Drive, NE. The event is set for Oct. 20 from 5 – 9 p.m.
Brewery Vivant is a great advocate for this event because the owners truly embody what Fork Fest is all about. They believe a great business exists because of the support of its local community and, therefore, has the opportunity to be an active extension of that community.
Fork Fest is a great platform for Vivant to showcase its message: When food and beer are paired together, it can elevate both to a new level of enjoyment. For example, a great pairing at Brewery Vivant can be found in one of the pub’s staple brews, Farm Hand, a French-style farmhouse ale, with the kitchen’s divine duck nachos. The bright acidity of Farm Hand perfectly complements the richness of the duck.
One beer Brewery Vivant owners are particularly excited to bring this year is Pumpkin Tart: a farmhouse pumpkin ale brewed with real pumpkin and spices. Its ability to pair with autumn desserts and entrees will astound Fork Fest attendees.
More than 40 West Michigan’s restaurants, farms, grocers, bakeries, breweries and more will be participating in the 6th Annual Folk Fest. New this year will be an on-site butchering demonstration by Louise Earl Butcher.
All samples are included in the ticket and a cash bar will be available. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 the day of the event. For more information, visit the LocalFirst website.
