Bundy Hill Offroad Park was established in 2009 by Mike and Deb Kortas. It has become Michigan’s largest off-road park with a total of 300 acres of all-terrain trail riding for all ages.
We offer a combination of mud, rocks, tire crawls, wooded areas, hill climbs, pea gravel hills, valleys and scramble areas. We at Bundy Hill strive to deliver the best off-roading experience to each customer starting from check-in to check-out.
Bundy Hill accommodates our riders by providing a picnic area, rustic camping, wash station for you and your vehicle, Bundy Hill novelties and gear.
Makings its return this year is our King of the Hill event on Sept. 12. This popular off-road challenge races four exclusive classes of off-road vehicles.
Stock, Modified, & Unlimited will race for the top spot in their class. Winners will then go on to compete for the “King of the Hill” crown and a $500.00 payout.
The fourth class will be a special UTV (side by side) challenge competing to win big money as well.
All four classes will have a chance to be entered into the “Best of Show” competition with an additional $500.00 payout.
The King of the Hill 4×4 Shootout will be held on Sept. 12 at Bundy Hill Offroad Park in Jerome, Mich.
The Vendor and Sponsor areas open for set up at 8 a.m. and to the public at 9 a.m., followed by the Shootout commencing at noon.
It has been six years since children played on its playground. It has been six years since family sat at the picnic tables. On Aug. 18, the City of Wyoming ended the six-year wait and officially reopening Kent County’s oldest park, Ideal Park.
In 2014, a tornado, straight-line winds, and flooding, damaged the park’s playground equipment, tennis and basketball courts and uprooted many of its trees, some of which were more than 100 years old.
“In a matter of seconds a park that was magnificent, majestic, mature was destroy,” said Doug Wustman, chair of the Wyoming Parks and Recreation Commission. “Ninety-eight percent of the canopy was laying on the ground and there was nothing but twisted, shredded, uprooted trees is all that you saw. The out buildings, the picnic shelters, the restrooms, everything was just gone in a matter of seconds.”
The Wyoming City team who helped to redesign Ideal Park with residents’ input. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
It was not just the park that was impacted by the storm, but the entire area.
“In 2014, the whole community was devastated and we had to hold off doing anything in Ideal Park until we could get the residences built in the area, said City of Wyoming Director of Community Services. The city spent $500,000 to remove the trees and debris from the park only to have flooding and another tornado in 2016.
“It has been a practice in patience for our residents,” Rynbrandt said. “As you can see our community is resilient and this park is a result of their commitment. The commitment of engaging in design so we could make sure that what is featured today really came about because it was what they wanted.”
The city spent more than $800,000, of which was a Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant of $508,000, reconstruction the park, located at 5843 Crippen Ave. SW. This included moving many of the amenities to the east side of the park along with improved traffic control for vehicle and pedestrian safety.
One of the unique features to Ideal Park’s playground are these all accessible swings. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
New amenities include restrooms, a shelter, and a playground that offers special new features.
“The playground is universally accessible,” Rynbrandt said. “We made a strong commitment that people of all abilities can come and play in our community.”
The playground features a tile form of the cushion-style playground surface that is similar to the one at Frog Hollow. The advantage of the tile is that the city can replace sections easily without having to replace the entire surface, Rynbrandt said.
At each of the city’s parks, the city tries to incorporate special elements that are unique to that park and for Ideal Park that includes modified swings, a climbing rope and a modified whirler.
Ideal Park also has a trailhead connecting to the interurban trail system that starts in Byron Center and goes through Kentwood and on into Grand Rapids.
There is excitement about reopening Ideal Park, Rynbrandt said, but also a little sadness in that the one item the city could not bring back was the 300-year-old trees that were the canopy of the park. However, the reopening of the park and the new amenities it offers will make new memories for residents today and tomorrow, Rynbrandt said.
“I am thankful to the people of the Ideal Park area for their patience and understanding because today we have a rebirth, we have a new parkThat they can enjoy for generations to come,” Wustman said. “2020 has been a rough year for everybody because of the pandemic environment we’re living in, so to see people laugh and even shed a tear at time, yeah I look forward to that. To life back to normal.”
The Wyoming City Council is hitting the road again this summer with plans to host two meetings within the city’s neighborhoods.
“We’re hosting our City Council meetings in neighborhoods across Wyoming,” said Mayor Jack Poll about the outdoor meetings. “My fellow council members and I are excited to meet you, your neighbors, and the businesses in your area. For us to make good decisions for the community, we need to hear from the people who live, work, and play in Wyoming!”
Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll with Wyoming City Clerk Kelli VandenBerg at previous outdoor council meeting. (WKTV)
The first outdoor meeting is set for July 20 at 7 p.m. at Pinery Park Lodging Area, 2301 DeHoop Ave. SW. The second meeting is set for Aug. 17 with a location to be announced.
This is the fourth year the city council has opted to host meetings with in city neighborhoods. The goal of the meetings is to provide an opportunity for residents to meet with council members in their own neighborhoods. According to city leaders, this gives residents an opportunity to learn about how its council works along with talking about issues or concerns within their own neighborhood directly with council members.
At last year’s outdoor meetings, Poll said the council has found them to be very successful, “as it allows the City Council to meet people where they are and interact with them in different ways. In addition to educating residents about the City Council and how our meetings are conducted. These summer meetings also encourage council members to visit areas of the community that may be unfamiliar to them.”
Before the 7 p.m. meeting, there is a meet-and-greet with council members and city officials available to talk to residents, answer questions about the process, and enjoy a summertime treat. The council meeting will begin promptly at 7 p.m. and will follow the city’s meeting guidelines. Public comment time is provided during the meetings. Click here to see the official agenda for the meeting.
A Wyoming resident talks to the Wyoming City Council about traffic concerns at a previous outdoor summer city council meeting. (WKTV)
As with all the city council meetings, WKTV will be at the outdoor council meetings, broadcasting it live on Facebook and on the WKTV Government Channel 26.
The Wyoming City Council meets every first and third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. throughout the year. Regular meetings are at the Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW. For more information about the Wyoming City Council or the various city committees, visit wyomingmi.gov.
Action Water Sports in partnership with Action Wake Park is pleased to announce their new summer camp called Camp Action. Learn water sports behind the boat and at Michigan’s only full size cable wakeboarding facility, Action Wake Park.
“We couldn’t be more excited to launch Camp Action,” Said Jerry Brouwer, Owner, Action Water Sports and Action Wake Park. “With the Covid-19 pandemic changing plans for all, we believe there is no better way to spend summer than out on the water participating in water sports.”
You can participate in Camp Action just for the day or for a full week. The following offerings are available:
● Surf Camp: a wakesurfing experience behind a new MasterCraft surf boat ● Wakeboard Camp: a wakeboarding experience behind a new MasterCraft boat ● Cable Park Camp: a water sports experience at Action Wake Park featuring one day behind a new MasterCraft boat
“Camp Action is perfect for beginners looking to learn or someone looking to fine tune their skills with professional coaching, Said Scot Ferwerda, Proshop Manager, Action Water Sports. “We worked hard to cater the camps for all ages and regardless of ability.”
Camp Action will take place locally in the Grand Rapids area on Reeds Lake. Camps begin at $75/day and start the week of June 11. All necessary gear is provided in addition to professional coaching.
Ah, the Gilded Age. The Gay Nineties. The Mauve Decade. As one waxes nostalgic about the 1890s (easy to do if you didn’t live through them), one tends to forget that in that same decade, the Panic of 1893 sparked a severe depression throughout the country, and crime and poverty were pervasive. There were also many strikes in the industrial workforce.
Things in Grand Rapids mirrored those of the country. But the people of Grand Rapids had at least one respite — a gift bequeathed to the city by an influential personage, John Ball, upon his death in 1884 — forty acres fondly called Ball 40, where John Ball Zoo (JBZ) currently stands.
Old guy with a baby. Oh, wait… that’s John Ball!
A pioneer from Hebron, New Hampshire, John Ball (1794-1884) studied and traveled extensively throughout the United States before settling in Kent County and serving in the Michigan legislature, representing West Michigan. He never left West Michigan and is buried in Fulton Street Cemetery, the oldest graveyard in Grand Rapids.
In the beginning, people used the land as a park. In 1890, the Common Council declared that it would be called John Ball Park, and a conservatory and greenhouses graced the grounds.
Historical records indicate that animals were kept beginning around 1891, and Ball 40 became home to raccoons, fox squirrels, rabbits, a woodchuck and two deer (added later in the year, thanks to two aldermen who gave a portion of their salaries to purchase the buck and doe to start a herd). Owls, hawks, a crow and an eagle also called Ball 40 their home.
Notably, there were no lemurs or zebras.
But what’s a zoo without a bear, and “Ol’ Jack” was added to the menagerie in 1894. The following year, a bride for Jack the Bear came on board. Jack escaped the zoo in 1897. He didn’t say why, but legend has it that the bride’s disposition wasn’t all that sunny.
More animals were added each year, and in 1903, Park Day became a city tradition. Workers got a half day off and all the city parks would open on the same day. Band concerts, speeches and just strolling along provided amusement.
Over the years, the following things happened:
In 1909, a reporter played music from a Victrola in front of various animals. It is said that the animals enjoyed this, but individual responses were not noted. We’re here to say that enjoyment is relative and depends on the music being played and the personal tastes of the animals. We would not jump to the conclusion that animals enjoyed any Victrola recording.
The John Ball statue was installed and dedicated in 1925. (And we ask, what took them so darn long? After all, a gift of 40 acres is not a mere trifle. Nor is it measly.)
Charles Lindbergh spoke to throngs of admirers at the park in 1927. Guess what his speech was about. (Hint: Charles’s mind was on one thing and one thing only.)
Hard times hit in 1930, and some of the animals were taken to other zoos during the Depression. Only a small group of animals remained.
In many ways, our history reflects that of most American zoos created in the Victorian era. Before then, only the very rich had access to collections of exotic animals. Cities began to build their own zoos in the late 19th century. For the first time, everyone could share in the mysterious and fascinating world of animals.
Zoos have evolved through the years as we learned more about exotic animal husbandry and exhibit design. Education became a major focus, naturalistic design became a force, and conservation became the mission.
Help JBZ celebrate this special birthday
Sponsor one of its 125 days of animal birthdays or become a member (you’ll get unlimited free admission and many other perks!). JBZ also offers a wild place to hold your next event with a variety of indoor and outdoor venues. Go here for more info.
Want to learn more about JBZ? Visit the website here.
By Lizzie Lemur
Over the years, the following things happened:
