The Grand Rapids Mini Maker Faire announced that the Call to Makers for the 4th annual Grand Rapids Maker Faire has been an extended! Makers now have until Friday, Aug. 4, to sign up to showcase what they have invented or are making.
This year’s Maker Faire will be Aug. 19 and 20 held at the Grand Rapids Public Museum and nearby Grand Valley State University’s John C. Kennedy Hall of Engineering.
Maker Faire is looking for participants who enjoy tinkering, hacking, building and designing new technology based inventions. Any groups or individuals interested in participating in the Maker Faire should complete the application at Grand Rapids.MakerFaire.com. Unfinished projects are also welcome at Maker Faire.
The Grand Rapids Maker Faire is a family-friendly celebration featuring tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, hobbyists, engineers, artists, students and commercial exhibitors. Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned.
The Faire will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19, and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20. Early bird tickets are available for purchase at GrandRapids.MakerFaire.comthrough Friday, August 4! Museum members receive FREE early bird tickets.
The Grand Rapids Maker Faire is being organized by a collaborative committee chaired by DTE Energy Scotty Kehoe, along with the GR Makers Mark Van Holstyn, The Geek Group Lis Bokt, Grand Rapids Community College Moss Ingram, Grand Valley State University Dr. Wael Moktar and Samhita Rhodes, Kent District Library Craig Buno, Kent Intermediate School District Rick Mushing and Ebiri Nkugba, Camp Newaygo Scott Lakin and Engine Matt Gryczan, Michigan Crossroads Council- Boy Scouts of America Bridget Knight, WMCAT Trudy Ngo-Brown and the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
The 4th annual Grand Rapids Maker Faire is sponsored by Make: Magazine, JR Automation Technologies, LLC, DTE Energy Foundation, Allegra Marketing, Print, Mail, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University. Kent ISD, Lloyd Mandelbaum Director at Chicago Crucible LLC, Koops, Inc. and Open System Technologies.
Follow the development of the Grand Rapids Maker Faire on Twitter @makerfaireGR, as well as on its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/makerfairegr/ .
Grand Rapids Mini Maker Faire is independently organized and operated under license from Maker Media, Inc.
Saugatuck Center for the Arts’ Mason Street Warehouse presents “Fully Committed,” a smart comedy about the behind-the-scenes going-ons in a trendy five-star restaurant. The production runs from July 21- August 6. Tickets are available at sc4a.org, by calling 269-857-2399, or at the box office.
“Fully Committed” features Sam, a struggling actor who works the red-hot reservation line at one of Manhattan’s hottest restaurants. A cast of desperate callers will stop at nothing to get a reservation from him. From bribing socialites, to crazy waiters and fickle celebrities, Sam juggles a host of demanding, eccentric characters while desperately trying to keep his personal life and acting career afloat.
The New York Times called “Fully Committed,” “immensely entertaining! A richly comic affirmation of everything you’ve ever heard, or suspected, about the bad behavior that good food can inspire.” Variety says not to miss this “tasty concoction of a play.”
Written by Becky Mode and directed by David Alpert, “Fully Committed” serves up a delicious helping of juicy schemes and hilarious characters that will have you laughing out loud.
Mason Street Warehouse alumnus Francis Kelly returns in the lead role of Sam. Kelly previously appeared as Nicky/Trekkie Monster in Mason Street Warehouse’s production of “Avenue Q.” He has appeared in New York as Burrs in Michael John LaChiusa’s “The Wild Party” at Columbia Stages, in the NYMF Audience Award-winning production of “Smoking Bloomberg,” and in the Drama Desk nominated “Animal Farm.”
The Saugatuck Center for the Arts welcomes guest Director David Alpert, from Muskegon, for the production. Alpert has worked on the Broadway productions of “If/Then” and “The Trip to Bountiful,” as well as on the first national tour of “Flashdance.” He was also nominated for Best Director (NYMF) for his work on “A Scythe of Time.”
Saugatuck Center for the Arts Artistic Director Kurt Stamm notes that Alpert himself is a Mason Street Warehouse alumnus, having been a Center Stage intern in 2006. “David was already very talented and focused as a student at Western Michigan University. It has been exciting to watch his star rise in the New York theatre world, and we’re thrilled to welcome him ‘back home’ to Mason Street for this terrific piece.”
Following the run of “Fully Committed,” Mason Street Warehouse wraps up its 15th Anniversary season with the musical comedy “It Shoulda Been You” which runs from August 18 – September 3.
Men are passionate about many things, and Piot’s memoir, No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses is by turns, chilling and fascinating, as he reveals how a boy growing up in a small Belgium town, went on to pursue a consuming desire to help eradicate major infectious diseases, especially in Africa. People who are aware at a young age, of their calling — of some great work they must achieve, have always intrigued me. How do they know? Where does such an unselfish desire and drive come from?
As a child, Peter would pass by the tiny museum dedicated to a local man who had been a missionary to the lepers in Hawaii. He was incensed by society’s cruelty to people with a disease that brought such condemnation and isolation, and determined that he too, would serve those in great need.
Fresh out of medical school, in 1976 he was employed at a Belgium laboratory when a blood sample, thought to be a variety of yellow fever, came in. Routine tests were done on what Dr. Piot would later have the honor of helping to put a name to: Ebola. The most lethal and feared of all the hemorrhagic viruses to come out of Africa, with a 50-90 percent death rate.
After Ebola came another mysterious epidemic, slower to kill, but quicker to spread; and he realized how wrong his old professors had been, thinking that we had conquered the microbes. Piot would eventually go on to head up UNAIDS for fifteen years.
The author has a great storytelling voice — down home, funny, compassionate, engaging. He’s like a witty professor combined with a pirate with Bill Clinton, as he talks about working with political leaders and prostitutes, scary plane flights, irascible bosses, turf wars at the U.N. and more. A wonderful read.
As children play at the splash pad and on the playground, the Wyoming City Council hosted its second outdoor meeting for the summer at Southlawn Park.
About a dozen residents attended the meeting with many echoing what Pastor Wayne Ondersma, from The Pier Church, said just before giving the invocation.
“Thanks for coming to my neighborhood,” Ondersma said.
“I have loved seeing all the different folks,” said Council Member Dan Burrill. “I enjoyed the meeting at Lamar Park and I have enjoyed being at Southlawn. Having these meetings has allowed us to see a lot of folks we normally wouldn’t see.”
Residents attending the meeting brought up several items of concern for their community including promoting the annual leaf pick up in December more to adding more playground equipment to Southlawn Park. Godwin Heights Board Member Rick Hamilton asked the city to consider transferring the north parking lot area of the Site 36 area to Godwin Heights Public Schools, which would use the area for school parking. If the school had ownership over the lot, it could push for no parking on the neighborhood streets, Hamilton said.
Mayor Jack Poll shows the ropes to some young constituents after Monday’s Southlawn Park meeting.
“As any of the fire personal knows, driving a fire truck down through the neighborhood for a fire during a football game is virtual impossible,” Hamilton said, adding that the city has allowed the district to use the parking area and the district has been very grateful for that but he does believe the school could maintain the area better.
The council’s regular meeting agenda also included an item that had direct impact on the neighbor, the restoration of the pedestrian bridge just south of Bellevue Street on Division Avenue. Two other pedestrian bridges just south of 36th Street already have undergone the same process. Cost for the restoration is $24,700.
Other agenda items included the purchase of seventeen replacement vehicles for the police, parks and public works departments and two law mowers for about $580,955 and the replacement of an electric switchgear at the Water Treatment Plant Low Service Station and Gezon Booster Station at cost of about $2.4 million. The current switchgears have been in service for more than thirty years said Public Works Director Bill Dooley. The switchgears are essential in the operation of the plant with the one at the Water Treatment Plant pumping more than a 100 million gallons a day. Work on the switchgears would be done during the plant’s non-peak season which is the winter months, Dooley said.
The council also placed a tentative approval for a preliminary plat approval for Reservoir Ridge located on 56th street near the city’s water tower. Mayor Jack Poll noted that the lots for the plat are some of the largest the city has seen in awhile with plans calling for seven homes to be placed on almost 15 acres with some of the homes having more than an acre of land.
“The development of Metro Health has created interest in having larger lots in the area,” Poll said. The council will review the preliminary plat at its next meeting set for Aug. 7.
The council meets every first and third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at its chambers in Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW. The meetings are broadcast live on WKTV Channel 26 and rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
The last Wyoming Council outdoor summer meeting is scheduled for Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Metro Village, located in front of Metro Health on Byron Center Avenue. For more information about city activities, meetings, and events, visit www.wyomingmi.gov.
Kent Intermediate School District estimates that 2,098 school-age children experienced homelessness last school year. These districts include 20 public schools and several private and charter schools in Kent County.
The majority of the services to help struggling families connect to resources are concentrated in downtown Grand Rapids. However, the issue of homelessness reaches beyond the inner city and into rural areas, where a staggering number of families are facing homelessness due to a variety of reasons.
Mel Trotter Ministries (MTM) was invited to form partnerships with organizations in rural areas to address the crisis together; North Kent Connect (formerly North Kent Community Services) and Cedar Springs Public Schools are two of those organizations. MTM felt called to respond by hiring an outreach advocate to build relationships in rural areas. The outreach advocate connects individuals and families in crisis with resources to help them overcome barriers such as a lack of housing, finances, transportation, domestic violence and other issues.
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“As an organization we have come to realize that if there is a need for our services and ministry in areas outside of the core city, it is our responsibility to partner with organizations to meet those needs. This crisis is too big for any one organization or individual, but it’s not too big for all of us to come together and solve,” said Dennis Van Kampen, CEO of Mel Trotter Ministries.
The MTM outreach advocate has weekly office hours at North Kent Connect and at the Cedar Springs Public Schools administration building. The advocate will also provide outreach services to people living in camps and motels.
“Through this partnership, our families have access to the support they need to help them move through homelessness and into the next step of their lives,” said Stacie Voskuil, Director of Special Education and Student Services at CSPS. “The connections and knowledge that MTM brings will have a ripple effect that could help end homelessness in our district. This affiliation will also bring a spotlight to the issue of homelessness within Cedar Springs.”
Last summer, 191 families were on the waiting list to get into emergency shelter in Kent County.
As the sun sets on his reign, the great and powerful Henry Plantagenet (Guest Artist Robert Newman) calls his wife Eleanor (Guest Artist Kim Zimmer) to the castle at Chinon for Winter Court, along with their three sons — the warrior Richard (veteran Jamey Grisham), and the bumble-headed John (first year apprentice William Dunn), and the conniving Geoffrey (first-year apprentice Jabri Johnson). Eleanor has been imprisoned by her husband since 1173 and uses every moment she can to ensure Richard to be the successor to Henry. The key to the throne is to marry Alais, King Henry’s mistress (second-year apprentice Audrey Morton), who is promised by her brother, King Philip of France (second-year apprentice Quinn Moran), to Richard.
Locked behind the palace doors, a deadly game of alliances and betrayals unfolds as each player moves to control who will sit on the throne when Henry is gone. Goldman has combined keen historical and psychological insights with delicious, acid wit to create a modern theatrical masterpiece.
The Lion in Winter was originally produced on Broadway in 1966 with Robert Preston and Christopher Walken in the cast. It became an Academy Award-winning film in 1968 with Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, and Timothy Dalton. In many ways, this play is the very precursor to the Game of Thrones phenomenon. The political sleight of hand accompanied with the raw, often turned violent, emotions that can only be accessed in the most brutal of family dramas is sure to keep audiences at the edge of their seats as they try to distinguish love from lies.
Since their final appearances on TV’s Guiding Light, Robert and Kim have been sustaining their palpable chemistry and remaining a dynamic duo. They have worked together in productions of GYPSY at Pittsburgh CLO, and CURTAINS at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. They will soon be in a production of WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF later this year at the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket — but this marks the first time the power-couple has ever shared the Barn stage.
Performances for The Lion in Winter are Tuesday-Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 5 pm, July 25–August 6.
The Barn Theatre is located on M-96, west of Augusta. Tickets are $37 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under for all performances. Rehearsal Shed reservations can now be made online–day of show. Go to www.barntheatreschool.org. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted. Group rates available. Tickets may now be purchased online. To reserve tickets at the Box Office – Call 269.731.4121; open daily 10 am-10 pm, or visit www.barntheatreschool.org.
On July 22, six local bands will converge on the City of Middleville for the first-ever Rock on the River Music Festival.
Set at the Middleville Village Pavilion, 91 E. Main St., the event is the brainchild of artist and Studio Talk host Aaron Kroll who had one goal in mind: to create a format to help promote local independent artists.
Dirt Chili
“The purpose for Rock on the River Music Festival is to help our Independent artists to get more exposure and to help make awareness for them to get a bigger fan base,” Kroll said.
For the event, which starts at 1 p.m., will feature five bands from Grand Rapids, Coldville, Slumlord Radio, Holy Warheads, InnerItch, and Dirt Chili; and one from Kalamazoo, Fates Collide. Kroll said the groups offer a variety of styles including new rock, hard rock, and blues, which should meet about anyone’s taste in music.
“There are so many sounds and different styles of music out there that are being lost and forgotten and not notice which is the reason for this event,” Kroll said. “It’s kind of hard to put a label on these bands and I try not to because they all have their own style and their own way of doing things.”
The event is designed to be family friendly. There will be tables featuring band CDs and other items and opportunities to meet the various band members.
Middleville is just 20 minutes away from the Kentwood and Wyoming areas. It south on the East Beltline to E. Main Street. The Middleville Pavilion is located across from Stagecoach Park and the Middleville Village Offices.
The Rock on the River Music Festival runs from 1 – 7 p.m. Cost to get in is $5. For more information, click here.
The use of smartphones, tablets and computers has become firmly integrated into our daily lives. Even the most resistant adopters of electronic devices in their daily lives often find themselves on the way to their local library or a family member’s house in order to ‘get online’ to complete an important task. Fast-moving technologies can make once simple tasks like banking or ordering from a catalog difficult for those who have not stayed up to date with changes.
While in many ways it can seem like technology has overtaken our lives, it has brought us many opportunities we previously didn’t have. Being able to place a video call to grandchildren who may live miles and miles away from us, or to consult with a physician and get help without an appointment, enriches our everyday experience. Using electronic devices can also empower us, increase our independence and safety, and reduce isolation by connecting us to our communities.
In May, the Pew Research Center (2017), released results on a study of the use of technology by older adults and the results indicated a significant increase of electronic devices in the few years. Since 2011, the use of smartphones among older adults increased 35%. Today 4 in 10 adults age 65+ own a smart phone. There were similar increases in tablet use. One third of seniors own a tablet, like an iPad, which is a 19% increase from 2010. These results indicate that older adults are just as connected as other age groups, yet for many older adults, their devices seem more a hindrance than a help in their daily lives.
While 75% of older adults surveyed in the Center’s study are online several times a day, only 26% of those same adults feel confident in their use of electronic devices. There are several factors that contribute to this experience, but one of the main ones is the feeling of disorientation that older adults sometimes experience when they first get a smartphone, tablet or computer. Well-meaning family members, may get a device for a family member, set it up for them with passwords and security questions they don’t share with the new owner, and then become impatient with them when the device isn’t working properly.
Seniors will often limit themselves to only using features of their devices that they are certain they know how to operate, like making a phone call or playing a favorite game, missing out on a world of functions and apps that can actually enhance their lives and help them continue to be independent.
There are many organizations working to help seniors become more comfortable and proficient on using electronic devices throughout the nation. Public libraries are a great resource for seniors to learn the basics about how to use computers and even tablets and smartphones. Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan (AAAWM) is developing a class to teach seniors how to use their devices, and show them specific applications available that can support their independence and connection to their communities. We’ll also teach seniors how to protect themselves from scams while on the internet.
On Tuesday, August 22nd from 1-3 pm as part of Family Caregiver University, AAAWM will be introducing our new technology class. On this day, participants will learn the best ways to integrate new technology into the lives of older adults, some of the assistive technologies built into many devices, review apps that can help caregivers manage their lives, as well as give a preview of an upcoming course designed specifically to help seniors use mobile devices like a smartphone or tablet. The class will take place at Area Agency on Aging located at 3215 Eaglecrest Dr. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525.
For a full list of Family Caregiver University classes provided by the Caregiver Resource Network, please call 888.456.5664 or go here.
Caregiver’s Corner is provided as a public service of the Caregiver Resource Network. The Caregiver Resource Network is a collaboration of West Michigan organizations dedicated to providing for the needs and welfare of family and professional caregivers within the community. Funded by the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan with Older American’s Act Title IIIE, Family Caregiver Support funds.
The cost-free Growing Young Artists (GYA) program continues this summer at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts (400 Culver Street). While their parents are harvesting produce in West Michigan, migrant children in pre-K through 8th grade will have the opportunity to raise their voices and make their mark through this project-based learning program created by the SCA.
Now in its sixth year, GYA uses creativity-infused project-based learning (PBL) to deliver key life skills to approximately 150 “at risk” migrant students in Allegan and Van Buren Counties. PBL delivers value around “hard skills” including language and literacy fluency, math and science, as well as critical “soft skills” such as problem solving, team building, communication skills and empathy. By expanding experiences beyond traditional textbook learning with a professional artist and plunging students into experiential hands-on situations, students will develop deeper learning competencies required for success in college, career, and civic life.
“The Saugatuck Center for the Arts (SCA) is committed to Growing Young Artists because all young people deserve access to innovative learning experiences,” said SCA Executive Director Kristin Armstrong. “Migrant children are under the radar — most of us are unaware that they’re living in our communities each summer and going to school while they’re here. These children deserve access to the same programs our own children benefit from. Thanks to a group of dedicated sponsors, we are able to offer this program, free of charge, to our educational partners.”
Photo supplied
These children follow their parents to West Michigan’s fruit belt to harvest for the summer, moving from school to school and state to state throughout the year. Via GYA, the SCA partners with Fennville and South Haven schools’ summer programs to bridge the gap for these children who often struggle to meet core academic standards.
“We could not offer this program to our students without the generosity and vision of the SCA. We simply don’t have the resources or the expertise that the SCA shares with our students every summer,” said Fennville Education Director Corey Harbaugh. “The opportunity the SCA provides our students to work with a professional artist communicates nothing less than respect for these kids as artists and thinkers. Our students are invited and inspired by SCA every summer to do real art with real artists, and we are grateful.”
The SCA employs a multi-layered, bilingual teaching team comprised of working professionals, college students studying education with varying experience, as well as middle and high school interns for the GYA program. Teachers and interns team up in pairs to teach the GYA programming to students, and along the way also impact the SCA Artist in Residence, the other teachers in Fennville and South Haven, and even each other. “We’ve discovered that this model is so rich in learning opportunities that everyone involved is positively impacted,” said Armstrong.
“I’m grateful for the ability to make these students feel important,” said Fennville Migrant Teacher Kate Godwin. “After Growing Young Artists, students have the tools, experience, and pride – I hope they continue with their self-reflections and creativity, making their dreams a reality after they leave Fennville. I also hope the GYA experience reinforces that the future is wide open for them.”
This summer’s GYA program includes arts-infused field trips and the opportunity to work alongside the Saugatuck Center for the Arts’ Artist in Residence Rubén Aguirre. Aguirre, Chicago artist who focuses on public artwork, will teach the students about cultural connection, relationship building, empowerment, and celebrating their own stories. Students will make their mark and leave a positive impact on Saugatuck by helping Aguirre create a public mural on the west wall of the Saugatuck Center for the Arts building.
Photo supplied
During the four-week GYA program, students complete one drawing prompt and one writing prompt daily, building a portfolio. The goal is to empower the students to think about who they are, what they want to say and to realize that they have the ability to leave permanent, positive “marks” on their community. The students will create individual paintings, representing their stories, which will go into two collaborative panels: one to remain at their school and one to be installed on the SCA public mural. Aguirre will then take the two schools’ panels and attach them to the SCA mural, filling in the empty spaces with his own designs, allowing the children — who are often “invisible” — to truly make a mark on our community.
“Rubén has this admirable gravitas about him and an immense amount of talent, we’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him this summer. His evolution as an artist is fascinating and his creative experiences will seamlessly engage him with our West Michigan migrant youth,” said SCA Education & Exhibitions Manager Whitney Valentine. “During this summer’s program, we’re posing important questions about the students’ identity, their culture and how they want to visually leave their mark on the world. I look forward to watching how deeply Rubén impacts the lives of the students, my staff, and our community over the next month.”
For more information about GYA and other SCA outreach programming, visit sc4a.org or call 269.857.2399.
The District 9 Southern League team completed an impressive run of weekend wins Sunday in a battle of two 2-0 teams, scoring eight runs in the first inning and going on to defeat District 4 Commerce 27-3 in five innings. The win advances Southern to the Michigan state Senior Little League tournament finals today, Monday, July 17, at 5:30 p.m.
WKTV covered Southern’s first three games live, and will cover the title game and broadcast it on a delayed basis, at 8 p.m. Monday, July 17.
The Southern Senior Little League fans were out in force Sunday. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The tournament is hosted by Southern Little League. All games will be at the Southern Little League field complex at 2525 Kalamazoo Ave. SW, just north of 28th Avenue. The title game will be followed by a second title game to follow, if necessary.
The winner of the state tournament will play in the Central Regional tournament, along with teams from nine other Midwest states, in Peru, Ill.
Southern’s opponent in the finals will be District 5 Taylor NW, which defeated Commerce 6-5 in the elimination bracket finals Sunday night. Taylor will enter the game with a 4-1 record, having lost in opening-round action Friday to District 7 St. Clair, 6-5.
WKTV community volunteers Paul Kabelman, right, and Rob Gee called WKTV’s coverage of the games will hosted a Senior Little League state tournament finals preview. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
On Sunday, against Commerce, Southern scored eight runs in the first inning, showed off great defense to match its great offense — including catcher John Shelton IV cutting down a Commerce runner trying to steal second base — and gained great pitching from three pitchers. Kyle Tepper went two innings in relief for Southern, including getting three strikeouts in the third inning. Among many big hits, Luke Passinault’s fourth-inning double knocked in three runners and pushed the Southern lead to 15-0.
On Saturday, 10 runs was more then enough as three Southern pitchers combined to limit St. Clair to one run on three hits while striking out 9 in a 10-1 winners bracket win. Luke Elzinga started the game on the mound for Southern and went three innings for the win, giving up no hits while striking out five and walking two. Joe Collins and Nick Lambert each went two innings in relief. Elzinga left the game with just a two-run lead, but Southern scored 2 in the fourth inning and 4 in the fifth to give the relief pitchers a cushion. Keegan Batka led the offense with three hits and five runs batted in.
On Friday, Southern gained 4 runs-batted-in from John Shelton — including a massive solo home run to left field in the second inning — and Jack Billo and Nate Trudeau each had three RBI as the host team scored 15 runs in the first inning against District 16’s Onsted and went on to 22-1 in a 5-inning game.
The Southern team is an all-star team made up of players, age 15-16, selected by the coaches from four Senior level teams who played in the Southern Little League this season.
WKTV covered all District 9 Southern games and DVDs of all games are available at WKTV.org/shop.
The City of Kentwood is hosting a volunteer signup party for its community event “Celebrate Kentwood” Tuesday, July 18, at Railtown Brewing Company, 3555 68th St. SE, Caledonia.
The “Celebrate Kentwood” event takes places on Aug. 11 and 12. Volunteers are needed to help with everything such as set up, manning the information booth, and helping with merchandise sales.
Activities for the two-day event include a classic car show from 5 – 8 p.m. and Kentwood’s Got Talent for 7 – 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11, and on Saturday, Aug 12, there will be a farmers market and Breton Street Fair from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., various cultural acts performing from 1 – 3 p.m., various activities from noon – 7 p.m.; the Mega 80s fro 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. and fireworks at dusk.
Those who attend Tuesday’s event will receive a t-shirt and pizza for signing up on the spot.
If you can make Tuesday’s event, you can still sign up up to help in August. For more information, click here.
Wyoming Public Safety Director James E. Carmody has been recognized as the top police chief of 2016 by the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police.
Carmody, who has more than four decades of law enforcement experience, received the MACP Presidential Citation award at the organization’s annual conference in late June. The Presidential Citation is “awarded for outstanding and extraordinary professional and personal service to the criminal justice system, the law enforcement profession and the MACP” and recognizes “a personal dedication and commitment above and beyond normal professional duties and interactions.”
“As a City, we are deeply honored to have Chief Carmody recognized by his peers as the top police chief in Michigan,” said Wyoming City Manager Curtis Holt. “He exemplifies professionalism and has a deep commitment to law enforcement, to his officers and staff, and to all the residents of the City of Wyoming.
“Since joining us in 2006, Chief Carmody has developed innovative programs that improve our ability to address key issues facing our community while building positive bridges with our citizens. His effective leadership style has earned the respect of all those who work with him.”
Carmody began his career as a police officer in Port Huron in 1975, retiring from the force as a deputy chief before moving to Wyoming as police chief. In 2013, he oversaw the creation of a joint Public Safety Department in Wyoming and was made public safety director with responsibilities for police and fire services in this city of nearly 75,000.
The MACP award recognizes the 42 years he has served as a police officer, including 24 at an executive level, and his 23 years of active membership with the MACP. Carmody serves on several MACP committees, including chair of the Traffic Safety Committee and a member of the Training & Education and Legislative committees. He was recently selected as the Michigan District 5 MACP executive board alternate representative. In April, he was appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to serve on the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission.
“I can’t think of a greater honor than to be recognized by my peers,” Carmody said. “It has, and will continue to be, a team effort as we work collectively to advance our communities and work to provide the best public safety services.”
Active professionally, Carmody works with the MACP Executive Development program and has taught dozens of police training, management and leadership classes. He sits on the interview panel for Congressman Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, reviewing high school students who have applied for appointment to West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy and the nation’s other military service academies. In January 2016, Carmody represented the MACP and Michigan’s law enforcement community when he attended Pres. Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address in Washington, D.C.
Carmody received his bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University and his master’s from University of Michigan. He is also a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy.
Friday night the District 9 Southern Little League team pounded out 22 runs in an opening round game of the Michigan state Senior Little League tournament hosted by Southern Little League; Saturday, 10 runs was more then enough as three Southern pitchers combined to limit District 7 St. Glair to one run on three hits while striking out 9 in a 10-1 winners bracket win.
Southern will advance in the double-elimination tournament and play Sunday, July 16, at 4 p.m., against District 4 Commerce. Commerce won twice on Friday — 13-5 over District 3 Ypsilanti and a 16-1 win over District 2 Portage, to advance to the Sunday game. WKTV will cover the game live.
Against St. Clair, Luke Elzinga started the game on the mound for Southern and went three innings for the win, giving up no hits while striking out five and walking two. Joe Collins and Nick Lambert each went two innings in relief. Elzinga left the game with just a two-run lead, but Southern scored 2 in the fourth inning and 4 in the fifth to give the relief pitchers a cushion. Keegan Batka led the offense with three hits and five runs batted in.
On Friday, Southern gained 4 runs-batted-in from catcher John Shelton lV — including a massive solo home run to left field in the second inning — and Jack Billo and Nate Trudeau each had three RBI as the host team scored 15 runs in the first inning against District 16’s Onsted and went on to 22-1 in a 5-inning game.
WKTV will cover every District 9 game this weekend. All live games will be available on Comcast Cable Channel 24. Some games will be taped-delayed. DVDs of all games are available at WKTV.org/shop.
All games will be at the Southern Little League field complex at 2525 Kalamazoo Ave. SW, just north of 28th Avenue. The title game will be Monday at 5:30 p.m. with a second title game to follow, if necessary.
The winner of the state tournament will play in the Central Regional tournament, along with teams from nine other Midwest states, in Peru, Ill.
The Southern team is an all-star team made up of players, age 15-16, selected by the coaches from four Senior level teams who played in the Southern Little League this season.
Grand Valley State University is expanding its health campus in downtown Grand Rapids to accommodate the ever-increasing demand from students and health care providers.
The university’s Board of Trustees approved a building project on the Medical Mile on Michigan Street at its July 14 meeting. The new building, at 333 Michigan, will be next to Grand Valley’s Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences and within a block of Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall, currently under construction on Lafayette Avenue.
The new $70 million building project will create additional spaces for the health professions and nursing programs. Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2018, with the opening set for May 2021. Finkelstein Hall is 84,000 square feet and will be completed next May.
“This approval is a major turning point for Grand Valley’s health programs,” said Provost Maria Cimitile. “Demand has exceeded our ability to accept highly qualified students, and these two new buildings, right in the middle of the city’s vibrant medical community, will provide exceptional opportunities for more students to attend Grand Valley and benefit from the unique combination of liberal education with professional training. This combination makes our graduates highly employable by area hospitals and medical facilities.”
Grand Valley is the leading provider of health care professionals in the region, and the project received authorization from the Michigan Legislature. The state approved a capital outlay request of $29 million for the five-story, 160,000-square-foot building. The rest of the funds will come from private donors and university bonds.
The trustees also adopted the university’s FY 2018 budget and set tuition rates for the academic year. Trustees approved a $237 per semester increase in tuition, bringing annual tuition to $11,994 for a full-time undergraduate Michigan resident. The budget includes $47 million in financial aid for students, which is an increase of more than $3.3 million to be awarded in the form of scholarships and grants.
The university is expected to receive $70.1 million in state funding, some of which is awarded to Grand Valley based on its superior performance in key areas such as retention and graduation rates. Grand Valley ranks fourth for retention and third in graduation rates of all public universities in Michigan. Nearly 85 percent of recent graduates stay and work in Michigan.
“It’s incredibly gratifying for the Legislature to again recognize Grand Valley as the state’s most efficiently managed university and our investment in our students and their promising medical careers,” said John Kennedy, chair of the Grand Valley Board of Trustees. “And the university achieves high performance while still keeping tuition lower than the majority of other public universities in the state. Students are graduating and employers are recognizing their talent. They’re staying in Michigan and giving back to their communities.”
The performance funding from the state has allowed Grand Valley and President Thomas J. Haas to provide the Grand Finish grant to students who stay on track toward graduating in four years. The grant awards a $1,000 scholarship at the start of the fourth year to students with at least 90 credits. Since the Grand Finish program began in 2011, more than 13,500 students have received the award heading into their final year of their undergraduate degree.
“An education provides benefits to a family, a community and a state,” said Haas. “Education is a public good, and by making it affordable and accessible to more people, who in turn contribute to the health of our state, we change our collective futures. Grand Valley is absolutely committed to these principles, and we back up the commitment by increasing financial aid each year so more of our students get the financial help they need to earn their degree.”
The state’s share of Grand Valley’s entire budget is 18 percent. Trustees earmarked all of the funding from the state for student financial aid, debt service, maintenance and utilities for classroom buildings.
• Trustees approved a new master’s degree program in Data Science and Analytics. Housed in the School of Computing and Information Systems and Statistics Department, graduate students will learn analytics skills that are necessary to work with big and complex data sets. Paul Leidig, director of CIS, said the program will prepare students to be data scientists, a field that has grown by 57 percent since 2016.
• James Moyer, associate vice president for Facilities Planning, reported that renovations and an addition to the Performing Arts Center on the Allendale Campus will be finished in August. The two-story, 47,000-square-foot addition includes a black box theater, support spaces, two theater classrooms and three ensemble rooms.
Moyer also said the Mackinac Ravine Restoration Project on the Allendale Campus will be finished in October. The project will restore about 1,000 feet of the ravine located north of Zumberge Pond.
• Trustees approved the authorization of Old Mission Peninsula Community School, a charter school in Traverse City; a site change for Michigan Mathematics and Science Academy in Center Line; a grade addition for Evergreen Academy (Kalamazoo) and Oakland Academy (Portage); and the appointment or reappointment of charter school board members to GVSU authorized public school academy boards.
Senator Stabenow Introduces Legislation to Help Small Businesses Grow
Courtesy Marge’s Donut Den
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has introduced legislation, the Growing Small Businesses Act, which would provide a tax cut to a small business planning to grow and expand. The bill provides a 25-percent tax credit for the cost of buildings and equipment for a business’s first commercial production facility.
“My bill provides a tax cut that will make it easier for bakers, brewers, software companies, and other small businesses across Michigan to take that next step to expand their business,” said Senator Stabenow
Since the 1970s, small businesses have created 55 percent of all new jobs but scaling up is one of the most expensive hurdles for a business. Stabenow’s legislation supports businesses that are in the process of getting off the ground, as well as businesses that have started small and want to expand from an incubator or home into their first facility.
Why is the Federal Government making it more difficult for hardworking Americans to plan for retirement?
House Financial Services Capital Markets, Securities, and Investment Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) led a hearing to examine the impact of the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule on the capital markets. The primary focus of the hearing was to discuss the unintended consequences of the fiduciary rule on the U.S. capital markets, the need for that rule to be delayed, and the need for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to act as the lead agency on this issue moving forward.
Key Takeaways from the Hearing:
The Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule will raise costs, and reduce access to retirement advice for Americans with low and middle incomes. It is creating an excessively complicated and increasingly burdensome regulatory environment, which ultimately will only benefit plaintiff’s attorneys.
The rule must be delayed in order to prevent further disruptions to the capital markets and access to retirement advice for low and middle income Americans.
The SEC is the expert regulator when it comes to the U.S. capital markets, the market participants and the products in which they sell. Broker-dealers should be subject to a “best interest” standard as proposed in Ms. Wagner’s bill, and the SEC should be the regulator responsible for implementing and enforcing such standard.
It’s no secret that job loss is stressful. Losing your income, daily routine and professional identity can lead to feelings of anger, fear and grief. Coping with these emotions can make searching for a new job overwhelming. There are things you can do to help stay positive and keep moving forward.
Start by organizing what you need to do into easy-to-follow steps. Focus on one step at time. Every time you complete a step, check it off your list. Eventually your list will no longer seem so overwhelming! The checklist below can help you get started.
Register with the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA). You can register for unemployment and update your records all online. Visit the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) to set up an account and file your claim.
Create a Pure Michigan Talent Connect (PMTC) account. PMTC is an online portal where you can search for jobs and upload your resume so employers can find you. Get started at www.mitalent.org/.
Visit a Michigan Works! service center. Once you file for unemployment, you will need to register for work in person at a service center. Michigan Works! staff can help you through the process. The service center in Ottawa County is located at 121 Clover St, Holland, MI 49423. Visit the West Michigan Works! website to find other locations in our region.
Talk to a service center staff member. They can tell you what free services you are eligible for. Depending on your situation, you may qualify for employment preparation, career planning or scholarships for career training or on-the-job training.
Connect online. Follow the Michigan Works! Facebook page in your county to stay up-to-date on employers that are hiring and other resources for job seekers. Update your PMTC profile at least once every 30 days. This ensures your information will continue to be seen by employers.
Remember to stay positive, take it one step at a time and use the many resources available to job seekers. West Michigan Works! offers a variety of free services to help you develop a plan and take your next step to a new career!
Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.
“D. Wayne Sharf slid across Winky Butterfield’s pasture like a greased weasel headed for a chicken house.” Criminal stealth and practice have readied D. Wayne with a center cut pork chop as part of his kit, and soon he is on the run with his victims. A hail of bullets from their frantic owner suggests to D. Wayne that there has to be a better way to make a living, but — what? “There was stealing dogs, cooking meth, and stripping copper wire and pipes out of unoccupied summer cabins. That was about it in D. Wayne’s world.”
Thus begins the newest Virgil Flowers thriller, and no sooner had I brought it home, than my husband nabbed it. Putting aside his historical studies, he decided he needed a break with some less taxing reading. Soon he was chortling away, as detective Flowers steps in to help a close friend find some missing dogs. All this is on the QT, since Flowers can’t tell his boss he’s working a dog-napping case. But soon after the BCA agent arrives, the quiet southern Minnesota town of Trippton is struck by a murder. And then another murder—
Flowers is soon on the trail of a very, very, bad school board, meth makers, killers, and worst of all, cold-hearted dog-nappers. If you are already a Sandford fan, you’ve already read this book (pre-ordered possibly!), but if you haven’t tried him yet, he writes a meanly humorous thriller. This one is just a little lighter than usual, but it was just as much fun.
This Monday, July 17, the Wyoming City Council again takes its meeting on the road, this time heading to Southlawn Park, 4125 Jefferson Ave. SE.
“Taking our meetings outside of council chambers provides us with a great opportunity to meet residents and educate them about our decision-making process,” said Mayor Jack Poll. “Their input is critical to our success as a community.”
Poll, Mayor Pro Ten Sam Bolt, and Council Members William VerHulst, Marissa Postler, Robert Postema, Dan Burrill, and Kent Vanderwood and city officials are scheduled to be at the park around 6 p.m. Ice cream also will be served at that time. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. with it being broadcast live on WKTV Channel 26.
In June, the council hosting a meeting at Lamar Park with city leaders pleased at the overall turn out. More than half a dozen residents made comments at the end of the meeting from thanking the city for help with such projects as the new light at 44th Street and Burlingame Avenue and working with the Wyoming Community Enrichment Commission on the Concerts in the Parks programs to discussing such items as the Paris Accord, a concern over a home being rented out and the condition of West Lake and West Pond.
“This is like a dream come true for me,” said Councilor Dan Burrill at the June 19 meeting, who added he has enjoyed looking out from the stage, to the sights and sounds of the park.
Pastor Wayne Ondersma from The Pier Church is scheduled to give the invocation. The council will follow its normal meeting procedures with Poll explaining each segment, like he does at the regular council meetings. To see the July 17 agenda, click here.
The council meets every first and third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at its chambers in Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW. The meetings are broadcast live on WKTV Channel 26 and rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
The rock band Chicago never dominated pop culture like Elvis or Madonna. Its musicians never became household names like John, Paul, George and Ringo. The group from the Windy City never filled arena after arena the way Bruce Springsteen, Prince or the Rolling Stones did.
Yet Chicago, over a 50-year career, has become, according to Billboard, “the greatest of all time” American band in singles chart success as well as the greatest of all time American band in album chart success.
The music of Chicago, one of the longest-running, most successful rock groups of all time, is coming to the Grand Rapids Symphony’s D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops for the second week of the 2017 Picnic Pops.
Brass Transit from Toronto joins the Grand Rapids Pops for The Musical Legacy of Chicago at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 20-21 at Cannonsburg Ski Area, 6800 Cannonsburg Rd NE. Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt will be on the podium for concerts underwritten by Gerald. R. Ford International Airport, Mercy Health, Vredevoogd Heating and Cooling, and Witness Inspection as Benefactor Sponsors.
Lawn seats begin at $19 for adults, $16 for seniors and students, $5 for ages 2 to 18, and free for children under age 2. Call the Grand Rapids Symphony at (616) 454-9451 ext. 4 during business hours or (616) 885-1241 or go online to PicnicPops.org
Grand Rapids Symphony performs at the Picnic Pops. Photo by Terry Johnston
Chicago, the self-described “rock and roll band with horns,” This rock and roll group, according to Billboard, led the U.S. singles chart during the 1970s and has sold over 40 million units in America.
With songs such as Beginnings, Saturday in the Park, andYou’re the Inspiration, Chicago has sold more than 100 million records worldwide over a five-decade career that began in 1967.
Their 1969 debut album, Chicago Transit Authority, was a double album, rare for a band’s first release. But within a year, the band sold over 1 million copies, earning a platinum disc, an impressive beginning for the group that would go on to record 25 or 6 to 4,Feelin’ Stronger Every Day and the ballad, If You Leave Me Now, which held the No. 1 spot on the U.S. charts for two weeks in 1976, winning the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.
Brass Transit, organized nearly 10 years ago specifically to play the music of Chicago, features eight accomplished, award-winning musicians from Toronto, Ontario. Founder Tony Carlucci, musical director and trumpet player, launched the group to do something for himself. He explained, “My favorite band of all time is Chicago, and I decided to put something together to just have some fun.”
The plan was to stay local and play at nightclubs from time to time. After the son of one of the band members posted a video of their performance on YouTube, Brass Transit took off. Carlucci said, “The ball was thrown in my court and I decided to run with it.” Hear Brass Transit on YouTube.
Today, Brass Transit has been successful enough that several members of the group have filled in as occasional subs with Chicago itself. This tribute band does not simply play songs; they embody the music and bring the notes to life on stage.
In addition to all of the songs above, Brass Transit joins the Grand Rapids Pops for such Chicago hits as Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is, Make Me Smile, Old Days andHard To Say I’m Sorry.
In an October 2014 review on Icon Fetch, Tony Peter, after attending a concert, wrote, “I’ve seen Chicago 25 years ago, and they were nowhere near this good. Brass Transit led a high-energy, hit-filled evening that, with or without orchestra, is a must see.”
This incredibly talented band will appear at Cannonsburg for the first time on July 20-21 at 7:30 p.m., bringing D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops fans back to some of the most memorable times of their lives in concerts underwritten by Grand Wealth Management, Mercantile Bank and Ranir as Patron Sponsors.
Coming next week, the Grand Rapids Pops’ three-concert, all classic pop/rock series rolls on with the music of Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Carole King and Pat Benatar in Women Rock on July 27-28 at 7:30 p.m.
In August, join the Grand Rapids Symphony for the audience favorite Classical Fireworks show on Thursday, Aug. 3 with Music Director Marcelo Lehninger making his debut at Cannonsburg. Capping off the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops is the marvelous mariachi sound of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán on Saturday, August 5. Both special-event shows begin at 8 p.m.
About Cannonsburg Ski Area
Gates at Cannonsburg Ski Area open at 5:45 p.m. each night for picnicking and pre-concert entertainment, including free, kid-friendly activities such as face painting, crafts, and a musical instrument petting zoo.
Pack your own picnic baskets and coolers or purchase food from the grill at the Cannonsburg concession stand. Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the grounds, and parking is free for concertgoers.
Tickets
Single Tickets
Single tickets for lawn seats in advance to The Musical Legacy of Chicago are $19 for adults, $16 for college students and seniors, or $5 for ages 2-18. Single tickets for general admission chair seating are $30. Single tickets for an individual, reserved table seats are $51 or $408 for an entire table for eight.
MySymphony360 members can attend for $15. U.S. Military on active or reserve duty or in the National Guard may purchase up to two tickets for $15 each. All children younger than age 2 are admitted for free.
All single tickets for all concerts are $5 more on the day of the show.
Flexpass Packages
The Flexpass 6-Pack offers six lawn tickets that can be used in any combination, on any concert night, for The Musical Legacy of Chicago and Women Rock on July 27-28. Flexpasses are $96 for adults and $84 for seniors. Flexpasses cannot be used for the special events in August.
Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more people by calling (616) 454-9451 ext. 192.
Tickets can be purchased through the GRS box office by calling (616) 454-9451 ext. 4 weekdays or (616) 885-1241 evenings; or in person at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100; or online at GRSymphony.org.
Tickets also may be purchased through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787, or at Ticketmaster outlets at select D&W Fresh Markets, Family Fare stores and Walmart. Tickets purchased at these locations will include a Ticketmaster service fee.
Nearly 200 egg growers and suppliers, area farmers, and local Jaycees along with local and state elected officials who attended the Ionia Free Fair’s opening day breakfast celebrated Michigan’s egg growing industry, which has an extraordinary presence in Ionia County. The breakfast event featured Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Jamie Clover Adams as a keynote speaker, and also included McDonald’s inaugural “Fastest Egg Cracking” championship.
Sergio Brito, a McDonald’s crew member from Wyoming, cracked 13 eggs in 15 seconds and was crowned McDonald’s of Michigan’s Egg Cracking Champion. The contest was held to showcase how McDonald’s cracks fresh eggs for its Egg McMuffin breakfast sandwiches.
McDonald’s of Michigan’s Egg Cracking Champion Sergio Brito.
Michigan is the second-most diverse state in the country when it comes to agriculture. Food and agriculture has an economic impact of more than $101 billion in Michigan, employs more than 52,000 farmers, and ranks in the top ten in 19 different commodities. Michigan’s egg industry has an estimated $625 million impact on the state’s economy, Clover Adams said.
“I am thrilled to once again have the opportunity to thank McDonald’s for being one of Michigan’s best customers of our agriculture,” said Clover Adams. “In 2015, McDonald’s purchased about $164 million in Michigan agricultural products, including 69.9 million dozen eggs…that’s almost 1 billion eggs a year! Each year McDonald’s demonstrates its strong commitment to buying Michigan agricultural products; annually buying 16.2 million pounds of apples, 7.6 million gallons of milk, 7.8 million pounds of butter, 6.2 million pounds of beef, 1.7 million pounds of blueberries and 25.9 million pounds of corn.”
“It’s businesses like McDonald’s, and small business owners like Keith Berg, owner/operator of McDonald’s here in Ionia, that help Michigan to rank as one of the nation’s leaders in agribusiness and helps us continue to remain on a world class platform. By continuing to invest in Michigan agri-business, McDonald’s helps us to ensure that our farming industry will continue to grow and be embraced by future generations of farmers,” she added.
The event, co-hosted by the Ionia Jaycees and the Ionia Free Fair, also recognized one of the state’s leading egg suppliers, Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, located in Ionia.
“At McDonald’s we take great pride in our relationships with suppliers like Herbruck’s, who are not only committed to providing McDonald’s USA with high-quality ingredients, but are industry leaders in their dedication to innovation, environmental sustainability and the highest quality and safety standards,” said Marcos Quesada, McDonald’s vice president and general manager of the Michigan region. “We value our partnership with Herburck’s and the many farmers, suppliers and processors throughout Michigan.”
McDonald’s employs approximately 32,000 people statewide with 450 restaurants being owned and operated by more than 100 small independent business owners.
Greg Bryan and his wife, Beverly, watched as the City of Wyoming was forced to remove the city trees. First it was due to the Dutch Elm Disease which wiped out about 75 percent of North American’s elm trees by 1989.
Then in early 200s, it was the Emerald Ash Borer, an insect that is lethal to ash trees, with the City of Wyoming becoming part of a countywide Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine.
“They cutdown more than a 1,000 trees,” Bryan said. “My wife turned to me and said ‘We have to do something.’”
Bryan did. He helped establish the Wyoming Tree Commission and this week, in memory of his wife who passed way in the spring, he donated $10,000 to the commission to help get its fundraising efforts moving forward.
Tree Commission Vice Char Greg Bryan shakes hands with City Council member Kent Vanderwood at the the check presentation.
“We are in the process of raising funds,” Bryan said. “For many of the grants we are seeking, you need to have matching funds. I am hoping this will help in the group’s fundraising efforts.”
Just a year-old, the Wyoming Tree Commission’s focus has been centered on planting trees. It recently helped the city be named as a Tree City USA, a national movement formed in 1976 to provide the framework necessary for communities to manage and expand their public trees.
With that honor, the commission, named nicknamed the Tree Amigos, has been focusing on projects within the city including a collaboration with Wyoming Public Schools in developing a small orchard at West Elementary School.
Tree Commission Chairperson Stella Slootmaker, who also helped establish the Tree Commission, said during the commission’s recent meeting, that the group is working to raise funds by looking at various grant opportunities through the Department of Natural Resources and the USDA Farm to School Grant.
The Tree Commission also has sponsorships available at various levels, the Service Berry level, $100 – $499; the Silver Maple level, $500 – $999; and the Mighty Oak level, $1,000 or more. For more information about the Wyoming Tree Commission, email treeamigoswyoming@gmail.com.
Being disabled is tough enough, but imagine not having access to mobility equipment to get around. Thankfully, there’s a nonprofit that helps people who can’t afford or fall through the cracks of health insurance.
Alternatives in Motion enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing independence through access to mobility equipment.
The nonprofit’s vision is to be the central hub in West Michigan for recycling, distributing, and maintaining mobility devices for those in need. Alternatives in Motion had its beginnings in 1993, after the brother-in-law of founder George Ranville, a Grand Rapids native, got into a tragic accident. As Ranville struggled to help his brother-in-law attain proper — but expensive — equipment, he saw an opportunity to help the disabled community.
The new nonprofit began raising money and making its cause known, believing that access to mobility equipment is the path to independence for those in need. Since then, Alternatives in Motion, which remains entirely funded by independent donations, has continued to grow and strives to keep up with the need for mobility equipment.
The organization’s mission is to provide wheelchairs to individuals who do not qualify for other assistance and who could not obtain such equipment without financial aid. By creating access to mobility equipment and repair services for those in need, Alternatives in Motion gives them the independence and quality of life they deserve.
If you or someone you know needs mobility equipment, apply here. (You must live in West Michigan to qualify.) For more information go to the website or call 616.493.2620.
As he prepares his team for a state Senior Little League tournament hosted by District 9 Southern Little League this weekend — a tournament WKTV will be broadcasting — Southern manager Jamie Billo is glad to have several players who have “been there; done that.”
Not only will he get the on-field talent, but also the off-field wisdom, of five players who return from a team that won the state title and won three games in the Central Regional tournament last year before falling to an eventual national champion team from Illinois.
And that leadership was evident last weekend as the Southern team, after rolling through three games in the District 9 tournament, had to bounce back from a title-game loss to Georgetown to win the tournament.
That loss “taught the kids a valuable lesson — on any given day, if you do not play up to your capability you get beat,” Billo said in an interview with WKTV. “It (also) helps a lot (to have experienced players). They can explain to the kids there is no reason to have that ‘awe’ factor. It is just another baseball game. They also reinforce that they have to come to every game ready to play.”
Attend the games; watch them on WKTV
WKTV will also be at every District 9 game this weekend, ready to play. WKTV’s coverage crew will broadcast live Southern’s opening game Friday, July 14, at 7 p.m., and then also be live on Saturday for the team’s games at 10 a.m. or 4 p.m., depending on Friday results. All live games will be available on Comcast Cable Channel 24. Some later games will be taped-delayed.
Southern will open action against the District 16 representative from Onsted. The other teams in the tournament will be Portage, from District 2; Ypsilanti, District 3; Commerce, District 4; Taylor NW, District 5; and St. Clair, District 7.
All games will be at the Southern Little League field complex at 2525 Kalamazoo Ave. SW, just north of 28th Avenue. The title game will be Monday at 5:30 p.m. with a second title game to follow, if necessary.
The winner of the state tournament will play in the Central Regional tournament, along with teams from nine other Midwest states, in Peru, Ill.
The team and its coaches
The Southern team is an all-star team made up of players, age 15-16, selected by the coaches from four Senior level teams who played in the Southern Little League this season.
Billo is in his first year as head coach of the Senior team, but has coached Southern Little League teams for eight years. He is the junior varsity head football coach at East Grand Rapids.
“I have coached a lot of these kids over the last few years,” he said.
The players include, from Central Catholic High School, Myles Beale, a centerfielder and pitcher; Matt Moore, outfielder/catcher; Kyle Tepper, 3rd base/outfielder/pitcher; Luke Passinault, 2nd base/outfielder; Joe Collins, outfielder/pitcher; and Nate Trudeau, short stop.
From East Grand Rapids are Reilly O’Connor, infielder and pitcher; Micah Baermann pitcher/outfield; Billy Bernecker, 1st base/outfield; John Shelton lV, catcher; Jack Billo, 3rd base; Peter Kratt, outfield; Ryan Sullivan, pitcher; and Nick Lambert, pitcher.
Also on the team are, from Grand Rapids Christian, Keegan Batka, middle infielder and pitcher, and Luke Elzinga, 1st base/pitcher.
Shelton, who started on the EGR varsity team this season, will be the team’s clean-up hitter. Billo, the manager’s son, was a starter on last year’s team that won the state tournament, as was Lambert, Trudeau, Elzinga and Kratt. Also of note, Batka’s brother, Austin, pitches for the University of Michigan.
“John Shelton is huge part of the team, batting,” Billo said. “Peter Kraff is probably the vocal leader of the team and has a great bat. Jack (Billo) will hit from the 2-hole two and is very fast. Kegan Batka leads with RBIs.”
Pitching, however, is a little more of uncertainty for the team.
“The strength of the team is batting and defense,” Billo said. “Last year we had two pitchers who we could just roll the ball out to. This year we have a lot of pitching depth but no top pitchers, but we have eight guys we are confident of to put out there.”
In addition to Billo, the other coaches for the team are Jim Passinault and Pat Batka.
“When it comes to pitching, I defer to Pat, his sons are pitchers and he pitched. He calls all the pitches,” Billo said. “We have known each other, coaches against each other in the regular season. As manager, I could pick my coaches and I could not have picked two better ones.”
The West Michigan economy is still growing, a Grand Valley State University economist said.
Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in the Seidman College of Business, surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of June.
The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) came in at +31, a modest improvement over last month’s +27. The production index edged up to +26 from +19. The index of purchases remained virtually unchanged at +22, while the employment index jumped to +23 from +13.
Long said slower auto sales have resulted in most auto parts suppliers showing signs of plateauing, but no major firms have reported a significant drop in sales. He said some firms have seen an uptick in quoting activity.
Long also said the office furniture industry continues to show signs of topping out, but no decline appears to be on the horizon. “Because of the apparent topping out for some of our local industries, the capital equipment market remains mixed, and the bias is still to the down side,” he said. “For the industrial distributors, the summer maintenance schedules have given some firms a slight boost.”
The West Michigan employment picture continues to be a bright spot for the local economy, Long said. Ottawa County has the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 2.6 percent, and Kent County tied for third lowest at 2.8 percent. The current Michigan unemployment rate stands at 4.2 percent.
The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”
Brian G. Long, Ph.D, C.P.M., serves as Director of Supply Management research for the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University. Dr. Long earned a B.S. and M.B.A. from Central Michigan University, and a Ph.D. in Marketing from Michigan State University. He is also a Certified Purchasing Manager.
For over 28 years, Dr. Long has edited a survey of local purchasing managers for both the Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids areas, which has proved to be a major indicator of current and future business conditions. This survey appears in many local newspapers and national business publications, including the Grand Rapids Press, MiBiz, and the Grand Rapids Business Journal. The survey is also a component of the Federal Reserve’s bimonthly survey of business conditions.
June 2017 was the busiest June on record at the Gerald R. Ford International (GFIA) Airport, coming off a March that was the single busiest month in airport history.
June 2017 passengers were up 5.59 percent year-over-year, not only resulting in the busiest June ever, but also securing the title of busiest second quarter in airport history by over 30,000 passengers; and the busiest overall quarter ever serving over 700,452 passengers since the beginning of the year.
“We are halfway through 2017 and already seeing incredible record-breaking statistics,” said GFIA President & CEO Jim Gill. “This is a testament to our region, and our growing community along with our airline partnerships. Not only does this June go down in airport history, but 2017 now holds the title for busiest first half ever beating out 2016 by over 86,000 passengers.”
Each month of 2017 has resulted in record-breaking passenger numbers, and the Airport has seen ten straight months of record growth.
Through June 2017, GFIA has served 1,385,730 total passengers — up 6.6 percent from 2016.
“The first phase of our Gateway Transformation Project will be complete at the end of summer, and we’re excited to see what the combination of this redesign along with the growing business in West Michigan does for our numbers,” said Gill. “We hope our continued growth prompts more nonstop service, and more options for those travelers who keep supporting us to achieve these record- breaking stats.”
Gateway Transformation Project construction began in December 2015 and is slated to continue through summer 2017. The project’s main feature is the consolidated passenger security checkpoint which opened in June, and centralizes security screening to one main checkpoint in the Airport. Construction also includes new terrazzo flooring, lighting fixtures, kids play areas, restroom and nursing room, family restrooms, pre- and post-security business centers, new retail and food & beverage space, and much more.
Grand Haven native Erin McCahan presents her critically acclaimed young adult novel ‘The Lake Effect’ Tuesday, July 18 at 7 p.m. at Schuler Books & Music, 2660 28th St. SW.
A funny, bracing, poignant young adult romance and coming-of-age for fans of Huntley Fitzpatrick, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and The Beginning of Everything.
When eighteen-year-old Briggs Henry decides to work for an eighty-four-year-old widow at her house on Lake Michigan the summer before college, he assumes he’ll take her to doctor appointments and help her with house work. Wrong. Briggs tries to leave behind his family and school troubles for a relaxing summer on the lake and instead encounters an eccentric elderly woman, tight-knit locals, and an enigmatic girl all of which gives a new meaning to “lake effect.”
McCahan grew up on the beaches of Grand Haven and Macatawa. Now a resident of landlocked New Albany, Ohio, she and her husband return every summer to North Beach in South Have, not he shores of Lake Michigan.
A Grand Valley State University group has developed an app for a local entrepreneur that addresses a common concern among parents: the amount of time their children spend on electronics.
Grand Valley’s applied Medical Devices Institute (aMDI) has developed Test 4 Time! (T4T), an app that makes children earn screen time on tablets and smartphones. T4T asks math questions for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. If they answer the questions correctly, they get the time.
“The app addresses a difficult challenge all parents have and allows parents to manage their child’s time on a device while making the experience fun, educational and challenging,” said Brent Nowak, executive director of aMDI.
The idea for the app came from its inventor and founder Tim Smock, from Forest Hills, six years ago when his 7-year-old son asked to play video games every day.
“I would write down 20 math questions and told him if he answered them, he could have one hour on the Wii,” he said. “I wondered if this process could be automated and came up with the idea for Test 4 Time.”
He filed for a provisional patent in August 2011 and began exploring development options.
Smock worked in 2016 with students from Grand Valley’s School of Computing and Information Systems to build a prototype of the app. Earlier this year, he came to aMDI to bring the app to market. John Doneth, a computer science major from Ada, was hired by aMDI in February to help write code and design the app.
Nowak said in six months aMDI created a full development program for T4T, from market study to product testing to launch.
“The aMDI team, which includes students and staff members, demonstrated that we can work at the pace of industry to launch a product to industry standards,” Nowak said.
Smock said he’s enjoyed working with aMDI. “The value and professionalism are exemplary, and we are very excited by the early enthusiasm for this app from parents and teachers,” Smock said.
Nowak said the next step is to develop a hardware device with the T4T software that requires children to earn time on the TV and video game consoles.
The project was funded in part by the State of Michigan’s Small Company Innovation Program/Technology Commercialization Assistance program. Learn more at www.test4time.com.
Each week, WKTV features an adoptable furry friend (or few) from various shelters in the Grand Rapids area. This week, we focus on Humane Society of West Michigan, located at 3077 Wilson Dr. NW in Grand Rapids.
Humane Society of West Michigan’s mission is to rescue hurt, abused and abandoned animals and find them a new forever home. The 501(c)3 non-profit organization helps over 8,000 animals annually and is 100% donor-funded by caring individuals and businesses in the community. Additional programs help reduce pet overpopulation, provide assistance to low-income pet owners, behaviorally assess animals and reunite lost pets with their owners.
Missy
Missy — Female Domestic Short Hair Mix
I’m a 9-year-old cat looking for my forever home! I’m sweet, affectionate and relaxed. I would do well as the only pet in the home in a laid-back environment. My favorite activity is napping! I love to be petted and shown love. I would be a great companion for a senior or someone who is looking for a calm, loving, low-maintenance cat. My adoption fee is waived due to generous grant funding.
More about Missy:
Animal ID: 33958186
Species: Cat
Breed: Domestic Shorthair/Mix
Age 9 years 8 months
Gender: Female
Size: Medium
Color: Black/Orange
Spayed
Not declawed
Safya – Female Catahoula Leopard Mix
Safya
I’m a playful and friendly 4-year-old dog looking for my forever home! I’m an active dog who would do well in a home with people who give me an active lifestyle by playing with me, going for walks, etc. I am kenneled with a playful male dog and we get along great! Having a dog friend in the home would be a great way for me to get out some of my energy by having a friend to play with. I would not do well in a home with cats. I would do well in a home with older/respectful children. Please come meet me at Humane Society of West Michigan!
More about Safya:
Animal ID: 35588482
Species: Dog
Breed: Catahoula Leopard Dog/Mix
Age: 4 years 1 month 25 days
Gender: Female
Size: Medium
Color: Grey/Black
Spayed
Feisty
Feisty – Female Domestic Short Hair Mix
I’m a 3-year-old cat looking for my forever home! I was brought in to HSWM as a stray in April and am looking for a good home to call my own. I would do well in a relaxed home. I enjoy napping, being petted, and playing around. Please come meet me at Humane Society of West Michigan! Cat adoption fees are only $15.
More about Feisty:
Animal ID: 35187536
Species: Cat
Breed: Domestic Shorthair/Mix
Age 3 years 20 days
Gender: Female
Size: Small
Color: White/Orange
Not declawed
Adoption fee includes:
A physical done by the staff veterinarian
A test for heartworm disease (if six months or older)
A first series of vaccines including DHLPP (distemper combo), Bordatella (kennel cough) vaccine, and rabies (if older than 14 weeks of age)
Spay/Neuter Surgery
Treatment for internal parasites
One dose of flea preventative
One dose of heartworm preventative
The organization automatically microchips all adoptable animals using 24PetWatch microchips, which include FREE registration into the 24PetWatch pet recovery service. For more information visit www.24petwatch.com or call 1.866.597.2424. This pet is also provided with 30 days of FREE ShelterCare Pet Health Insurance with a valid email address. For more information visit www.sheltercare.com or call 1.866.375.7387 (PETS).
Humane Society of West Michigan is open Tues-Fri 12-7, Sat & Sun 11-4.
Everyone is looking for ways to stay cool under the summer sun, but it is even more important for older adults. Seniors are more vulnerable to heat because their bodies don’t adjust as well to temperature changes. Medical conditions and medications can also make it hard for their bodies to regulate temperature or can cause dehydration. In fact, a recent study found that 40% of heat-related deaths in the US were among people over 65.
It is important to know the signs of heat stroke so steps can be taken to treat it as soon as possible. Symptoms include:
Body temperature over 104 degrees
Changes in behavior, like acting confused or agitated
Dry, red skin
Nausea and vomiting
Headache
Heavy breathing or a fast pulse
Lack of sweating when it’s hot out
Fainting
If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, take steps to cool down and seek medical help. Use these tips to stay cool and prevent heat stroke this summer:
Drink plenty of water. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, be sure to drink plenty of cool water and avoid coffee and alcohol.
Eat light. Eat small portions of cold meals like salads. Hot, heavy meals like pot roast can increase your body temperature.
Keep the house cool. You may avoid running the air conditioning to save money, but in a heat wave it can be a life-saver. Keep your air conditioner filters clean to help them run more efficiently. Close your blinds to keep sunlight out and decrease the need for the air conditioner to work as hard.
Keep yourself cool. Wet a towel with cool water and place it on your wrists, face and back of your neck. Sit with your feet in a pan of cool water. Or take a cool shower or bath.
Visit a cooling center. If you can’t cool down at home, visit a public place with air conditioning to get some relief. A shopping mall, library or senior center are places to consider.
ACSET Community Action Agency (CAA) provides a variety of programs to help keep seniors in Kent County health and safe. To learn more, go here.
Your Community in Action! is provided by ASCET Community Action Agency. To learn more about how they help meet emergency needs and assist with areas of self-sufficiency, visit www.communityactionkent.org.
The Kentwood Summer Concert series continues this Thursday with the Kalamazoo-based funk and soul band The Mainstays.
The Mainstays are set to perform at 7 p.m. on the lawn of the Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton SE.
The group includes singer/songwriter Andrew Schrock, bass player Neal Conway, guitarist Nate Heymoss, drummer Paul Bauer and organist/clavinet player/wurlitzer player Tom Eldred.
Having recently performed with the legendary organist Booker T., of the 1960s R&B band Book T. & The M.G.’s, earlier this month, The Mainstays draws heavily from the groovy elements that made Funktion (Heymoss’s Michigan funk/dance band) a bonafide dance party, while crafting dynamic, insightful and almost folk-influenced songs. Bauer behind the drum kit and the dirty playing of Eldred on keys bring the sound fully together.
Guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and enjoy the evening. A variety of food trucks will be on hand for the event.
For more information about this Summer Concert Series or other programs offered by the Kentwood Parks and Recreation, visit www.yourkprd.org.
A drone buzzed over the East Kentwood Freshman campus, snapping photos to document the path of water runoff from the school building to a Buck Creek tributary that runs across the property. While watching the miniature aircraft, science students talked about how to reduce humans’ impact on the environment. They would later use technology to create maps and documentaries.
Welcome to 21st-century biology, where students have tools like drones for snapping photos from a bird’s eye view, 3-D printers for creating three-dimensional models and smartphones to create video.
Students gather to fly the drone in the schoolyard.
In science teacher Nicholas Bihler’s class, they also had the drive to tackle a real-world problem: Water that comes off the school roof simply drains onto the ground, collecting sediment and chemicals and polluting nearby waterways.
While solutions to fix the runoff problem are still unfolding, students completed several projects connected to nonpoint source pollution, and the ramifications it has on the community and local watershed. They recently showcased their work – models of campus that show the runoff path, reports, informational posters and videos – after several weeks exploring the issue and building awareness.
“Our whole purpose is to educate the community on how water runoff affects the community and the environment as a whole,” said freshman Emily Kwekel.
Students created projects with technology including drone pictures of campus and 3-D printed items.
Ongoing Work
Students’ projects and data will be used by next year’s class, and could eventually be part of a local information campaign to spur efforts to reduce pollution in the watershed. Research included gathering and testing water from the creek to create an analysis of the stream’s health. Results showed excessive phosphorus levels. Insects lacked diversity, indicating poor water quality, and next year’s students will use the data as a baseline.
“I want my students to be able to educate others about nonpoint source pollution and meaningful ways citizens can take action to reduce it,” Bihler said.
Students said they learned that pollution can come from everyday things: Fertilizers and cars have a far-reaching effect.
“It hurts the animals and then those animals can’t eat because their food source is dying off, and then they die and go extinct and people wonder why,” said freshman Lilli Crowley.
A water-mitigation garden, created by staff, is just one step in reducing the problem of water runoff from the school.
Taking action at a staff level, Bihler and his colleagues, teachers Adrienne DeMilner, Alan Freudigmann and Beth Thompson, partnered with Groundswell, an initiative through Grand Valley State University, in creating a rain mitigation garden in the school to capture water runoff and hold it in the soil with native plants.
As for sharing the message, freshman Will Chatlosh’s report, presented to his class and earning loud applause from peers, gets to the point.
“Human activities such as deforestation, agricultural advancements, and increased urbanization are all factors that increase pollution in this way,” he said, while reading his report to the class. “However, it may be a lack of information that kills millions of animals a year and increases the chance of disease around the world. However, more specifically our community is also affected by nonpoint source pollution.”
He said becoming informed is key. “Nonpoint source pollution could destroy the world but it doesn’t have to.”
Students debate what do do about non-point source pollution during a Socratic Smackdown.
In 1815, Napoleon met his Waterloo with a spectacular defeat that ended his reign as Emperor of France. In 1974, four Swedish singers met their “Waterloo” with spectacular success, winning the Eurovision Song Contest, launching a career in music that would inspire a Broadway musical, a major Hollywood movie, and sell millions of records.
Arrival from Sweden joins the Grand Rapids Pops with songs such as “Mama Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Gimme Gimme,” “Take a Chance On Me,” and many more to open the season at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 13-14, at Cannonsburg ski area, 6800 Cannonsburg Rd NE. Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt will be on the podium for both concerts underwritten by Kennari Consulting, Price Heneveld LLP and TerryTown RV as Benefactor Sponsors.
Season tickets offering substantial discounts as well as single tickets for all concerts in the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops are on sale. Call the Grand Rapids Symphony at (616) 454-9451 ext. 4 during business hours or (616) 885-1241 evenings or go online to PicnicPops.org
ABBA, named after the first names members of the group, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, was the first non- English speaking musical group to achieve major success across the English-speaking world from New Zealand to the United Kingdom and from South Africa to the United States.
From 1972 to 1982, ABBA sold over 500 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. After 10 years of international success, the band dissolved. Except for a TV appearance in 1986, the four musicians did not appear together publicly again until they were reunited at the Swedish premiere of the movie Mamma Mia! starring Meryl Streep, in July 2008.
Arrival from Sweden, the most popular ABBA tribute group, has toured more than 48 nations and appeared with dozens of symphony orchestras since 1995.
Over the past 10 years in the United States, ARRIVAL has sold out eight shows in the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Denver, an arena where other world-famous artists including Elvis Presley, the Beatles, U2, and many more have appeared. Arrival last was in Grand Rapids in February 2012 at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center.
Named for ABBA’s fourth studio album, “Arrival,” as well as ABBA’s No. 1 best-selling album in Europe and Australia, Arrival from Sweden is the only tribute group given a previously unreleased ABBA song, “Just A Notion,” composed by Ulvaeus and Andersson. Arrival also has permission from ABBA’s original designer to wear exact copies of ABBA’s original stage costumes.
ARRIVAL from Sweden not only resembles ABBA in appearance, the group truly embodies the sound and personality of the Swedish pop band, making audiences feel as though ABBA itself is on stage. In fact fans often say, “It was like a real ABBA concert!”
Stop by during Music at the Market to enjoy a little after-hours live music!
What’s better than good tunes, great food, and delicious drinks? Aperitivo, Love’s Ice Cream, Rocket Pies, Slows Bar-B-Q, and Social Kitchen & Bar are open late!
On July 19 from 7-9 pm, enjoy live strolling music while soaking in the sun on Downtown Market’s patios.
In honor of this year’s Muskegon Bike Time, which is July 13 – 16 in downtown Muskegon, WKTV will be airing the highlight reel of the Muskegon Bike Time 2016.
The half-hour show, produced by WKTV volunteer producer Gary Vande Velde
aka GV Wheels, will air on WKTV 25 this Thursday, July 13, at 1 a.m. and will repeat on Friday, July 14, at noon followed by by DMX Sports Blessing of the Bikes. It also will air on Saturday, July 15, at 12:30 p.m.
The 2016 event marked the 10th anniversary of the annual Muskegon Bike Time, which attracts more than 100,000 people and 75,000 bikes from across the country. The goal of the event is to produce entertainment opportunities in Muskegon aimed at attracting a broad spectrum of motorcycle enthusiasts for a vacation experience on Michigan’s West Coast.
The event’s activities include the Relentless Stunts Show featuring a motorcycle stunt team performing an array of nonstop action acrobats. There also is the Harley-Davidson Rushmore Experience Demo Rides along with the Blessing of the Bikes and the Patriot Ride on Sunday. The four-day event also will have food and plenty of live entertainment.
As beer continues to remain popular in Western Michigan and across the state, the Michigan Brewers Guild has labeled July as Michigan Craft Beer Month with the celebration of the Guild’s 20th anniversary.
Michigan Brewers Guild was created in 1997, hosting its first festival in July 1998. This year, produced by its members Breweries, the Guild will again be hosting four festivals dedicated exclusively to Michigan Craft Beer. The festivals attract more than 3,500 people each year, according to supplied material.
The first event, the Michigan Summer Beer Festival will take place July 21-22 at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti’s Historic Depot Town. Other upcoming festivals include: Saturday, Sept. 9, UP Beer Festival, in Marquette; and Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27-28, Detroit Fall Beer Festival, at Eastern Market in Detroit.
With the number of breweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks 6th in the nation — with claims of being The Great Beer State.
For ticket and more information visit MiBeer.com .
Bell’s announces coffee milk stout offering
Comstock’s Bell’s Brewery recently announced its new addition to its beer offerings, set to be released this fall as part of its specialty lineup.
Arabicadabra, a coffee milk stout with ABV of 5.5 percent, made to debut on draught in 12-ounce bottles, packaged in six packs, this upcoming October, according to Bell’s.
“This year, we are changing things up a bit,” said Laura Bell, CEO of Bell’s. “Arabicadabra is a different take on a coffee stout and very similar to a local favorite that was released at our pub and at some events. It’s time to share it with an even larger audience.”
The beer was inspired by Milchkaffe, another Bell’s specialty beer, which debuted 2015, with the mix of milk stout.
For more information on this upcoming beverage visit bellsbeer.Com .
