public market - WKTV Journal

I’m not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels, I’m afraid of what real human beings do to other real human beings.
American writer Walter Jon Williams

Wyoming’s First Public Market

Well after months of anticipation, the City of Wyoming’s first Public Market is this Saturday. The event is set for 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at HOM Flats, 1401 Prairie Parkway SW. The event is free to attend and will feature a number of local artisans and a selection of food trucks. No sweat if you miss this Saturday’s event as a second Public Market is scheduled or Sept. 25 at Wyoming City Hall.

Retired Chaplain John Hooglund, from Holland Home at Breton Woods, produced this work as part of veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)

It’s back

After two years, partly due to COVID, ArtPrize returns with artists taking over downtown Grand Rapids. There is sculpture. There is paintings. There is a lot to see, so spend the weekend — with weather reports all showing it to be beautiful — checking out some amazing art and get boned up on the new voting system.

Executve Chef Josef Huber at Gun Lake Casino shows off the popular burger, which comes with two 4.5-oz. patties. (Photo by John D. Gonzalez)

Now Open

WKTV Contributing Writer John D. Gonzalez gives us the inside scoop on the new restaurants at the Gun Lake Casino. Located just off the US 131, the restaurants include the SHKOÉ Chophouse, CBK, and the 131 Sportsbar & Lounge, which offers floor-to-ceiling LED video walls and 180-degree panoramic views For more, click here for John’s story.

Fun Fact: Ferris Wheels

“Pleasure wheels” as Ferris Wheels were called date back to the early 1600s, however the one we are most familiar with is George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.’s creation for the 1863 Chicago’s World Fair. Designed to rival the 1,063-foot Eiffle Tower that was the center piece of the 1889 Pairs Exposition, the “Chicago Wheel” was 264 feet and the tallest attraction at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After the fair, the wheel was rebuilt on Chicago’s North Side, near Lincoln Park, where it rain from 1895 to 1903. It was then shipped to St. Louis for the 1904 World’s Fair and destroyed after that event. The Ferris Wheel returned to Chicago in 1995 at the Navy Pier and in 2016, the Navy Pier opened the Centennial Wheel as part of its 100th anniversary celebration. Today Ferris Wheels are more commonly called Observation Wheels, pre the one in England. The tallest Ferris Wheel in the world, the High Roller, stands at 550 feet and is located in Las Vegas.

HŌM Flats at 28 West and the City of Wyoming will be hosting two public markets in September. (pxhere.com)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

An open market will return to the former 28th Studio site in the form of the HŌM Flats Public Market scheduled for this September.

“HŌM Flats is about providing quality homes that are accessible to all,” said Jaylyn McCloy with Magnus Capital Partners, which owns HŌM Flats at 28 West, located right across from the Wyoming High School at 1401 Prairie Parkway SW. The location was once part of the Studio 28 site and hosted the Studio 28 Flea Market for 50 years.

“We also wanted to be able to offer everything that the community has to our residents right to their front door,” McCloy said, adding that is how the public market idea was born.

The goal is to have vendors and food trucks representing businesses from the area, she said. The entire market is free to those attending and to the vendors.

“We really wanted to emphasis the community aspect and have the market open and available to everyone,” McCloy said, adding there is no fees for vendors to participate.

There is a deadline for those wishing to be a vendor, which is July 23. If you are interested in being a vendor, contact McCloy at jpm@magnuscapitalpartners.com. McCloy said vendors will receive information about the event and a bio sheet to complete.

“We had been planning this for a couple of months and once all the pieces were in place, we approached the city about sponsoring,” McCloy said. “It turns out that the city also was looking at doing something similar and really liked the concept, so they asked to partner.”

The partnership means the event will be hosted on two days, Sept. 18 at HŌM Flats at 28 West and Sept. 25 at Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW. Both events will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Vendors may participate in either one or both events, McCloy said. Due to the locations, spaces are limited, so vendors are encouraged to apply soon.