Winterize your home - WKTV Journal

The World of Winter is currently taking place in downtown Grand Rapids through Feb. 28. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

“It was nice to see all the people walking around,” wrote a Facebook friend as we discussed visiting downtown Grand Rapids to see the World of Winter Festival.

Hosted by Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. (DGRI) and the City of Grand Rapids, the annual event is designed to encourage area residents to get out and enjoy the winter weather. Wanting to make the event special, especially with everyone dealing with the pandemic, the city’s DDA added to its initial $150,000 contribution with an additional $155,000 to expand the festival. This allow organizers to increase the number of outdoor sculptures .

The festival runs through the end of February with different activities and sculpture pieces being installed.

“HYBYCOZO” is on display at Ah-Nab-Awen Park. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

Currently on display is “HYBYCOZO,” a series of large-scale installations and artworks that investigate geometric exploration and patterns through light, shadow, and perception. The piece is located at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, which is in front of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW.

Between the Blue Bridge and Pearl Street will be “Grand Illuminations” featuring light and color along the Grand River.

“Winter Tumbleweeds and Grasses,” on the Blue Bridge, is an interactive art installation made out of more than 5,000 pool noodles. The installation features five large tumbleweeds, three small tumbleweeds and for groves and two anemones.

Near the Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW, is the “Path of Encouragement,” which features positive saying and messages such as “It’s OK to no be OK.”

“Path of Encouragement” is located near the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

Look to the sky to see the 20-foot inflatable dancing tube persons on top of 10 buildings throughout downtown Grand Rapids. Part of the “Color the Skyline,” the bright colorful characters can be seen from the downtown sidewalks as well as from US-131 and I-196.

Being added on Friday is “Impulse,” an interactive art installation that consists of 15 seesaws that light up and create sound when put into motion by people. “Impulse” is located on Monroe. At Canal Park is “The Singing Tree,” a lighting experience that transforms traditional displays into interactive experiences. Participants will be able to sing, clap, or yell to create an unforgettable and magical experience.

Another installation, set to run Jan. 29 – Feb. 2 is the “Ice Luminaries.” Featuring 10 giant icicles with lights frozen in the center, the Ice Luminaries will light the way along the Gillett Bridge located near Ah-Nab-Awen Park.

“Winter Tumbleweeds and Grasses” on the Blue Bridge. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

On Feb. 1, the “Elevated Love Language” project, led by Grand Rapids Poet Laureate Ericka “Key Kane” Thompson, will be installed. In this exhibit, short poetic expressions from local artists will be placed on billboards or projected onto buildings throughout the city.

Also in February, every Saturday and Sunday night, will be “Projection Mapping” by Live Space, which will light up the front of the Civic Auditorium, located on Lyon Square across from the Amway Grand Plaza.

More than 80 ice sculptures will be part of the Valent-ICE, which will take place Feb. 12 – 14. Grand Rapids Running Tours will be offering Ice Sculpture Walking Tours and self-guided tours also will be available.

Many of the past group experiences will not be taking place at this year’s event, however DGRI is planning to live-streaming dance performances at two installations. Also during the six-week event, there will be walking tours such as The Chilly Challenge: the Heartside Walking Tours and Black History Walking Tours as well as pop-up performances, tribal storytelling, outdoor ice games, and a scavenger hunt.

For details on the World of Winter events, visit worldofwintergr.com.

By Don Segavac

With days getting shorter and the nights getting colder winter is upon us in West Michigan. So here are a few ideas for winterizing your home. The most important thing you can do is disconnect your hoses from your outdoor faucets. This will help keep your pipes from freezing. Most modern homes have frost- proof faucets, the water actually shuts off between 12 and 16 inches from the outside wall. Old homes have shut-offs in the same location, you turn them off inside and open the outside to drain the water out.

If you leave your hoses connected you still have water in that 12 inch area and it can freeze and burst your pipes. The next thing you want to do is make sure your gutters are clean of leaves and debris. They need to work properly and get the water away from the house. Gutters full of water weighs a lot and can cause them to loosen and even fall off. Next look from areas where cold air can get in, when it’s dark out turn off your lights and have someone shine a flashlight around your exterior doors. If you see light you need to fix or replace your weather stripping. The most common place is at the bottom of the latch side of the door. You can move the weather stripping closer to the door using a small piece of cardboard as a shim. If you have cold air leaking in around your windows, a shrink wrap insulation kit is an inexpensive way to solve this problem.

Check your attic, you should have at least 12 inches of insulation. If not, blow some in, most lumber yards and big box stores will loan you a blower if you buy enough insulation or you can roll batting type insulation. Be sure to wear the proper protective gear. If you have an emergency generator get it out and fire it up. Make sure it is working and keep some spare gas around. Now that you are using your furnace put fresh batteries in your thermostat– if it uses them– and in your smoke alarms. Change your furnace filter often it does make a difference.

If you have central air conditioning you should cover your compressor with a piece of plywood slightly larger than the unit itself. Use bungee cords to hold it in place. This will protect it from falling icicles and snow. Never wrap it in plastic or use a trap, this will trap moisture and could cause premature failure due to rusting, this unit needs to breathe year round. Make sure you have flash lights and emergency candles on hand. A deck of cards is cheap entrainment when the power is out.

I look forward to sharing more helpful hints on taking care of your home in the weeks to come.