The Grand Rapids Art Museum will present a colorful survey of award-winning author and illustrator, David Wiesner, opening at the Museum Oct. 12. The Art of Wordless Storytelling will be on view at GRAM through Jan. 12, 2020, and features over 70 original watercolors from Wiesner’s most beloved books, including Caldecott Medal winners Tuesday (1991), The Three Pigs (2001), and Flotsam (2006).
His many books have delighted readers of all ages for three decades with wildly imaginative tales that capture the joy of pictures and stories. Wiesner’s body of work explores the complexity of human imagination through colorful, layered imagery, clever composition and humor.
“With GRAM’s mission focused on art, creativity and design, we’re thrilled to present The Art of Wordless Storytelling at the Grand Rapids Art Museum,” commented GRAM Director and CEO Dana Friis-Hansen. “Wiesner draws from such diverse pictorial narrative inspirations including Surrealist painting; cinema from silent film to 2001 and beyond; and comic books, graphic novels and Japanese anime.”
David Wiesner (American, b. 1956), Bugs, 2009. Watercolor on paper. Collection of Zora and Les Charles.
Examples of Wiesner’s earliest artistic successes are on view in The Art of Wordless Storytelling, as well as sketches and notebooks revealing his time-consuming creative process, which culminates in the dreamlike watercolor paintings that anchor the exhibition.
“Wiesner’s picture books often take years to complete and develop from a process of sketching, drawing, creating 3D models and finally, painting the richly layered watercolors that will be on view,” said GRAM Assistant Curator Jennifer Wcisel. “In working on this exhibition, I have been continually amazed by the power of Wiesner’s imagination and many connections to childhood. He doesn’t simply write a story and then conceive images for it, rather his stories grow from a memory or visual idea and are ‘written’ entirely with pictures.”
When asked about his wordless narratives, Wiesner shared, “By removing the text, I am removing the author’s voice. This lets each reader tell the story in their own voice. It puts readers in the position of collaborating in the storytelling process, asking them to use their imagination along with mine.” He hopes viewers will actively engage with his work, making connections and creating their own meaning, an engagement that is particularly important for young children, who develop visual literacy well before they are able to read.
On view concurrently with The Art of Wordless Storytelling on the Museum’s Level 2 is a parallel exhibition, Worth A Thousand Words: Storytelling with GRAM’s Collection. Comprised of paintings, drawings and sculpture drawn from GRAM’s Collection, in this interactive exhibition, viewers are invited to invent and share their own stories in response to the works on view, all specifically selected for their storytelling potential.
Activities within the galleries for children, families, and adults have been created to inspire visual literacy and storytelling skills and create fun experiences for visitors of all ages. In addition to the exhibition’s interactive spaces, guests are invited to participate in a full calendar of family-friendly events, including the Member Exhibition Opening, Coffee with the Artist, Community Conversations: Storytelling Beyond Words, Family Day, a Parent and Child Workshop, and more.
Before the current school year started in August, Godfrey-Lee Pubic Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston publicly expressed concern that this summer’s partial collapse of a portion of the Lee Middle and High School building could drive parents to transfer their students out of the district.
Such a loss of student head count would add a reduction in state per-student funding to the losses in class space and district financial flexibility.
But, the district reported Wednesday, Oct. 2, that Godfrey-Lee Public Schools counted 1,824 students today during Michigan’s Fall Count Day, according to supplied information. The number is slightly above the 1,820 students the district based the 2019-20 budget on and would result “in a modest amount of additional funds for the district.”
The number represents a similar number from the spring count, and a loss of 21 students from last fall’s count.
Fall counts occur on the first Wednesday in October and represent 90 percent of state funding. Spring counts occur on the second Wednesday in February and represent 1 percent of state funding. According to state school funding records, Godfrey-Lee gained $10,807 per student in 2017-18. But the amount can change year-to-year and per student funding for 2019-20 is not yet finalized.
“The district is grateful for the support of our community during the past four months and the trust they have in the district,” Polston said. “We are honored to serve our community to provide an excellent educational experience for our students based on deep, meaningful relationships and rigorous learning.
“Our student count will allow the district to grow the vision into the future as we partner with a dedicated staff and loyal community partners to design innovative practices that prepare students for success well into the future.”
Seven classrooms and the psychologist’s office were destroyed during a roof collapse at the school building, located at 1335 Lee St. SW, on June 5. No one was injured. It was determined that corrosion of bar joists that supported the roof structure caused it to disengage from the exterior wall.
On June 23, the remaining structure of the affected area collapsed from the weight of the debris. With localized repairs, the remaining portion of the building was ready for opening day as planned on Aug. 19.
No matter where you are in Michigan, you are never more then six miles from a body of water whether it be a river, a lake or one of the Great Lakes. Also, you are never more than 85 miles from a Great Lake.
With so much water that surrounds us in Michigan, it can be difficult for Michiganders to consider water as a scarce resource, but it is. “..,Worldwide water is going to become and is, in some areas, already a huge political issue,” said Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Dr. Stephanie Ogren.
India made the news this summer what its sixth largest city Chennai faced a water shortage. Chennai is not alone in that Cape Town, South Africa, Mexico City, Cairo, Tokyo, Melbourne, Australia, and London . According to the United Nations, four out of every ten people are affected by water scarcity — the lack of fresh water resources to meet water demand.
Grand Rapids Public Museum Vice President of Science and Education Dr. Stephaine Orgen and Science Curator Dr. Cory Redman talk about they find science entertaining in a recent “Locally Entertaining” podcast.
To help educate area residents about the need to care for the water resources in Michigan, how much water the state has and how clean it is, the Grand Rapids Public Museum has been offer a Saturday Curiosity Lab. According to Ogren, the lab, which also serves as a watershed lab for school programs, is designed to engage the public and students in watershed science.
“The reason behind developing the watershed lab really was to start engaging the public, especially the urban public that we get a lot of visitors here in that discussion around water as a resource and water as a scarce resource,” she said.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the third-floor lab is open to the public. In the Curiosity Lab, there are questions and prompts to help visitors explore more about Michigan’s watersheds. There are also several hands-on activities such as augmented sand box that allows visitors to create different landforms.
“It automatically changes the shape of the contour lines so that we can talk about how landforms are made and how water affects these landforms,” Ogren said.
The Museum also happens to be located right next to the Grand River, which provides many hands-on opportunities to discuss Michigan’s waterways and watersheds.
“So we are able to take groups and students and families down to the river and explore what we see when we pick up a few rocks and turn them over,” Ogren said. “And Really, we just try to peek everyone’s curiosity of what’s in our Grand River and what can we learn from that.”
To learn more about the Curiosity Lab or other programs and exhibits at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, visit grpm.org.
Superintendent Kevin Polston listens to community members during a community forum on Sept. 11. The forum was held to gather renovation ideas for Lee Middle and High School. (School News Network)
A pronounced entrance way, flexible spaces, better ventilation and lighting, and a separate auditorium and gym were common threads at the school district’s first community forum seeking input for the renovation of Lee Middle and High School held recently at the Early Childhood Center.
Seven classrooms and the psychologist’s office were destroyed during a roof collapse at 1335 Lee St. SW on June 5. No one was injured. It was determined that corrosion of bar joists that supported the roof structure caused it to disengage from the exterior wall.
On June 23, the remaining structure of the affected area collapsed from the weight of the debris. With localized repairs, the remaining portion of the building was ready for opening day as planned on Aug. 19.
Two more forums will be held, on Oct. 9 and Nov. 4 at Lee Middle and High School. The board plans to vote on design plans on Nov. 11.
The design phase will take place through May, and construction is planned to begin next summer.
The forum is the first of three sessions to get feedback from the community and to create a renovation plan.
Kevin Polston
Superintendent Kevin Polston said the forums will build on each other.
“We need folks to keep coming because we want the community’s voice to be represented in the final product,” he explained. “This is a community project.”
There are two phases: Phase 1 is redesigning the wing affected by the roof collapse, and Phase 2 involves planning other portions of the building.
Although a financial offer from the insurance company hasn’t yet been made, Polston said the process moves on.
“We’re trying to be patient with that … and we’ll keep the community in the loop,” he said. “I really want to credit our students and staff at Lee. We made the best of the situation, and our students were very patient finding new rooms and not having a locker in the first couple weeks.”
Polston reiterated that the site is safe during construction.
“There are fire walls and locked doors preventing students and anybody from accessing the affected area. Our contractors for plumbing, electrical, fire suppression and technology are designing how to reroute the infrastructure so we can demolish the wing.”
The wing is planned to be demolished in the next six weeks and “won’t impact our school, the learning environment,” Polston explained.
Creating A Vision
After the presentation, which included site information and a look at design trends by architectural/engineering firm TowerPinkster, community members took part in small group discussions.
Common themes included having flexible spaces, classroom connectivity, comfortable furniture, natural and better lighting, a comfortable learning environment that includes better ventilation and air conditioning, a dedicated auditorium for the arts, and a cafeteria separate from the gym.
Two other popular ideas were to build a pronounced, inviting entranceway — “a new opportunity to embrace people,” a community member said — and a courtyard open to other areas of the building.
“The feedback really resonated with what we’re trying to do; it’s about creating a vision for what the school could be and that’s exactly what we needed,” Polston said. “We had staff, community members, parents; a good cross-section of the community. Even though we didn’t have a high turnout, I think the representation was what we were hoping for.”
Other feedback included:
Safe and secure entrances
Flexibility to change with trends and needs
TVs throughout to inform and update
ADA accessibility
Include student input
Community needs to own the redesign
Transparency: what’s going on and why?
A recent photo of Lee Middle and High School shows a closed-off area of the building where the roof collapsed on June 5
Meetings Eased Fears
Cecilia Garcia, a mother of four students, said she’s attending the meetings to make sure they’ll get an updated and modernized building.
“This one has a lot of issues,” she said. “I have three kids in high school and they always complain that it’s too hot in there and they can’t concentrate during class. I want to keep updated as to what’s going on.”
Right after the collapse, Garcia said she was worried about the building and tried to transfer her kids to another district, but was too late to enroll them.
She said her worries have eased since going to the meetings.
Board of Education trustee and parent Jackie Hernandez, who has two children in middle school, said she wants to make sure they deliver clear, understandable information to the community.
She said one of the primary things her children want is air conditioning.
“It’s very hot in the school,” said Hernandez, who wants access to technology included in the new design, and to make sure a school is built with the future in mind.
Funding Needed
Polston said he has met with legislators multiple times, including with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently to tell their story and get support. He told those at the forum that the community’s voices are being heard.
Polston said the district is asking for stabilization funds for a year to avoid added pressure on the budget if enrollment falls below projections — possible if fears about the collapse prompt some to transfer out of the district.
“We’re monitoring enrollment closely to determine if that would be a solution for us,” he explained.
The district also is pushing for a structural fix for the inequity of school funding.
“A district like ours that has the second-lowest tax base in the state of Michigan on a per-pupil basis … we’re about tapped out as to what we can levy,” Polston said. “When we look at equity for our students, the kids that need the most, unfortunately, tend to get the least in the state of Michigan.
“Our students deserve the same opportunities, the same access that students anywhere do.”
With the limited funding, Polston said one possibility is a capital campaign to seek donations.
As with the mascot change last summer, the board said they wouldn’t use general funds, and to date have raised over $120,000 in community donations toward that effort.
“We’re going to keep having those conversations to see if we can raise private money to match what the community can raise,” Polston said. “The worst they can tell me is no; I take rejection well.”
For more stories on local schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.
The Grand Rapids Chapter of Sweet Adelines perform at the 73rd International Convention and Competition. (Supplied
By WKTV Staff joanne@wktv.org
They took to the stage from all over the world. Song, Dance, Four-part harmony a cappella style. Barbershop at its best.
The Sweet Adeline’s 74rd Annual International Convention and Competition which took place in September in New Orleans, proved to be a rewarding experience for The Grand Rapids Chapter of Sweet Adelines.
“We placed fifth in the world in mid- size choruses,” said Team Leader Diane Thompson. “We had 57 members onstage. It was such a thrill to watch barbershop groups from all over the world compete.”
Master Director Denise Van Dyken said she was proud of her group.
“We wanted to create an entertaining package and we definitely achieved that goal–the audience loved it,” she said.
The Grand Rapids Chapter of Sweet Adelines used comedy, rhythm, tap dance and numerous songs to invigorate the audience.
The Grand Rapids Chapter of the Sweet Adelines perform in New Orleans at the Sweet Adelines 73rd International Convention and Competition. (Supplied)
“I have been in the group for almost three years and we have qualified to compete at two International Competitions,” said member Colleen Pierson. “It is such a thrill to be part of this group. I wished I would have joined years ago.”
Chris Segard, long time member of 26 years, said she is thrilled to be recognized and cherishes her newly acquired medal.
The 5th Place medal that the members of the Sweet Adelines Grand Rapids Chorus earned. (Supplied)
“When you place fifth in the world, that’s a medal you hang around your neck with great pride,” she said.
The group is always looking for new singers. Check out grsa.net for details on how to join and for upcoming events.
The Grand Rapids Sweet Adelines Chorus will be hosting its annual Christmas performance Dec. 14. More details to come.
Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival announces special guests scheduled to appear at the 2019 festival taking place next week from Oct. 8-12 at the Wealthy Theatre. In addition to the special guests, over two dozen filmmakers are scheduled to be in attendance.
On Friday, Oct. 11 at 7:30pm,Shelley Irwin, 2013 recipient of The Storey Award, presents the 2019 Storey Award to Elizabeth Merriman, multi-talented media maven and skilled coordinator of chaos, who has over a decade of experience in the film industry in both producing and production management roles. Merriman currently serves as Manager of Recruiting & Career Advancement for Compass College of Cinematic Arts.
Irwin is the host and producer for The WGVU Morning Show, a news magazine talk-show format on the local NPR affiliate Monday through Friday. The show, broadcast from 9-11am features a wide variety of local and national newsmakers, plus special features.
The Storey Award is a community award created by Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival, and is presented in honor of journalist, friend, and community activist Drew Storey who passed away unexpectedly in 2009. The recipient is awarded based upon their body of work, their selfless contribution and its impact on building community relationships, which promote and connect Michigan’s artists to a larger audience around the world.
Bride of Frankenstein Drag Performer Veronica Scott puts on her neck bolts and performs a special number fit for the bride of the monster on Friday, Oct. 11 at 8pm.
Veronica Scott has been performing in the art form of female illusion for over 8 years. In that time she has had the opportunity to take the stage all over the state of Michigan, Illinois and New York.
Filmmaker Inchun Oh from South Korea will attend Thursday, Oct. 10 through Saturday, Oct. 12. His film, Friday the 13th: The Conspiracy Begins, screens Saturday, Oct. 12 at Noon. Link to his movie’s trailer: https://youtu.be/dVSfvLwam5A
Visiting Artist, SFX & Animation, The Evil Dead, Tom Sullivan, Saturday, Oct. 12.
Thriller! Chiller! International Film Festival in partnership with ASIFA Central (asifa.org) presents film artist and Michigander Tom Sullivan who will give an artist presentation on Special FX history and the Evil Dead film series. Sullivan is the makeup, props and SFX artist for the Evil Dead franchise.
The Evil Dead event begins at 7pm 7pm – Tom Sullivan presentation 8pm – The Evil Dead screening.
This is the exclusive theatrical release of Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead by Grindhouse Releasing featuring the reimagined score by original composer, Mr. Joseph LoDuca and an all-new 5.1 surround-sound mix.
Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival, which takes place Oct. 8-12 at the Wealthy Theatre, is Michigan’s international film festival celebrating fantastic movies. The festival screens films from the U.S. and around the world in the categories of action, horror, sci-fi and suspense. 64 movies from 8 countries are represented at this year’s festival.
Ticket information
Entry is priced two ways for maximum access: All Access to the entire festival; or access by the day in the form of a Day Pass. There will be no tickets to individual screenings available except for the Evil Dead screening and lecture sold separately at $8.
All-Access Festival Pass, $50
Day Pass, $12 Tuesday – Friday
Day Pass, $20 Saturday
The Evil Dead, $8 for only this film + Tom Sullivan presentation
“We would hit as many halls as we could,” said Mike Boruta about one of Grand Rapids’ most popular events, Pulaski Days, which is this weekend, Oct. 4-6.
Since a young age, Boruta has headed out to check out the halls and all the activities that take place.
“We would hit the Falcons and end up at Kosciusko, that would pretty much end it,” Boruta said, adding he now goes with a family member after the Polka Mass (which he organizes), “after everything has settled down, take a ride and have a beer per hall to check things out.”
Boruta is just one of 11 people who serve on the board that oversees the annual event that features Polish food, entertainment and fun. Recently, Boruta and board member Chip Kozal joined Polish Pod Café host Laura Szczepanek to talk about all things Pulaski Days.
To listen to the entire Polish Pod Café, click here.
“Pulaski weekend that is what it is all about,” Kozal said during the show. “You go to all these clubs to eat all this Polish food because when is the next time you are going to eat Polish food?”
The food is definitely the star with the 14 halls that participate in the annual event featuring an array of Polish options such as Szcepanek’s famous Dill Pickle Soup at The 5th Street Hall, 701 Fifith St. to NW, to the Lithuanian food at the Vytautas Aid Society, 1300 Hamilton NW.
“You know what is really cool about Pulaski weekend?” Szcepanek said. “There are 14 halls on the east side and the west side and every single one of these halls has something unique, something different. So you want to try and make it to every single one of these places.”
The entertainment is just as plentiful with both Friday and Saturday backed with musicians performing at several of the halls.
Boruta pointed out that this event is specifically for the halls with Pulaski Days being the key weekend for many of them to sustained their operations throughout the year. The halls seek special licenses to sell to the public during this time. Normally, the halls are only allowed to sell to members. Memberships at many of the halls runs about $25 and is open to the general public.
Kozal noted that many of the halls are walkable. On pulaskidays.org, there are four routes offered for residents to plan their activities. There is also a shuttle available with the main hub at Sibley School, 921 Jackson NW. (Enter through the exit.)
Key events for the weekend:
Saturday, Oct. 5: The Pulaski Day Parade is at 11 a.m. starting at Fulton Street between Seward and Valley. The awards presentation is after the parade at Laddies Hall, 58 Lanes SW.
Sunday, Oct. 6: The Polka Mass is at 10 a.m. at the Knights of Columbus, 1140 Muskegon NW.
All the halls have children’s activities up until about 9 p.m. For complete details, visit pulaskidays.org.
Making a conscious decision to let go of anger and resentment rooted in the past will help you focus on what’s important today. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
It’s surprisingly easy to hold a grudge, but whether it involves a friend, a co-worker or a loved one, it can fill you with bitterness, keep you stuck in the past and even lead to anxiety or depression.
That means you’re the one suffering from the situation—and not necessarily the subject of your anger and irritation.
Besides the emotional toll, researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University and Edinburgh Napier University, in Scotland, found that holding a grudge can also heighten feelings of physical pain, even if that pain has nothing to do with the incident in question.
So if your lower back is bothering you or you have the achiness of arthritis, your pain can feel worse if you’re stewing over the grudge.
Letting go of a grudge starts with forgiveness. That doesn’t mean you’re excusing the behavior the other person exhibited—and you may never forget it—but if you can forgive the person for their mistake, you can break free of the hold he or she has had on your life.
The benefits are wide-ranging and immediate.
Making a conscious decision to let go of the anger and resentment that keeps you rooted in the past will allow you to focus on your present and what’s important to you today.
Letting go of grudges frees you to focus on the positive relationships in your life—the ones that bring you true happiness and contentment. It also lessens feelings of anxiety and hostility while improving self-esteem and your health in general.
As you let go of grudges, they will no longer define you and you’ll feel like a burden has been lifted from your shoulders.
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Dr. Jen is a firm believer that things happen for a reason and that often you end up at the right place at exactly the right time. Such is the case with T’Challa.
Dr. Jen and her fiancé were heading home from Detroit on Aug. 11, 2019, when she checked her emails on her phone. Garden City resident, Jessy Kellerman, had contacted the good doc for possible help with an FIV+ stray that she had found in her neighborhood and had been caring for since she picked him up on the 5th. Ill with an upper respiratory infection and fully intact—his mere presence was causing a small ruckus in her home—this four-year-old fella (born in the summer of 2015) was in need of placement, with the ultimate goal of adoption into a home better suited to him.
As luck would have it, the lovebirds were only about 20 minutes away from the cat in needs’ location, so they grabbed lunch and headed on over to meet and pick up their furry passenger for the two-hour ride home.
Although the strikingly handsome, petite black panther had been quite vocal at Jessy’s place, he didn’t make a single peep on the way home (ok, once—when Dr. Jen was singing along to a song that he obviously didn’t care for), sitting contentedly in his carrier on her lap. Dr. Jen set him up in her home office for the night and let him settle in a bit, although he would have much preferred to make his rounds about her house, but with two Bassets and 10 cats in residence, it wasn’t advisable.
Although grumbly when seeing the other cats through the door to Dr. Jen’s enclosed ‘catio’, T’Challa seemed more interested in exploring than anything. But since feline immunodeficiency virus is transmitted through bite wounds, and given the fact his whole world had been turned upside-down yet again, Dr. Jen confined him—and heard ALL about it the entire evening. Jessy was right when she said he had a lot to say!
The boy enjoys the ‘catio’
As expected, T’Challa had a hard time adjusting to the shelter and is just starting to settle in at the writing of his bio a month after his arrival. He seems to get along great with some of the cats, even snuggling up next to them sometimes. However, some of our more ‘manly’ cats pick on him and he just can’t understand why—but we have an idea: it’s that constant chattering, meowing and talking to everyone and everything (while in perpetual motion) that ruffles their feathers.
We want more than anything for this sweet boy to quickly find a nice, quiet home. The other cats really do overwhelm him. He’s never been aggressive but the others obviously see his “noises” as a threat. He prefers to be curled up out of the spotlight, enjoys his wet food, and loves all of us doting over him. He has quickly become a volunteer favorite and loves nothing more than to just sit on a lap. He absolutely needs a less active home with no dogs, no small kids, but possibly an older, quiet cat.
T’Challa will make someone a wonderful companion, and we have no doubt he will quiet right down once he feels at ease.
More about T’Challa:
Domestic Short Hair
Black
Adult
Male
Large
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Neutered
Prefers a home without dogs or children
Want to adopt T’Challa? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Cutting or self-injury behaviors might seem ‘fringe,’ but it isn’t. Here’s what you should do if you find your teen is cutting. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Have you ever met someone who cuts himself or herself as a way to cope?
Whether you knew it or not, you likely have.
Cutting is one of a series self-injury behaviors that young people may use to gain a sense of relief from emotional pain, a sense of control over problems in their lives, or feel a break from pressures in their lives.
While cutting is the most common form of self harm, other self-injury behaviors include burning, picking or reopening wounds, punching/hitting oneself, inserting objects into the skin or purposely bruising or breaking one’s bones.
First of all, Dr. Lowery wanted to make a few things clear.
“Cutting or self-injury behaviors might seem ‘fringe’ to many parents,” she said. “It isn’t. Cutting can happen in any race, socioeconomic class, family. Many also often believe it is a suicidal behavior. While cutting can be accompanied by depression or psychological disorders, for most, cutting is a coping mechanism.”
Cutting discovered. Now what?
For anyone to see evidence of cutting in a teen, it’s always by accident. Cutters go to great lengths to hide scars and open cuts.
Discovery triggers panic in the discoverer because it is alarming, obviously, to see scars or blood. Dr. Lowery cautioned that if you see signs of cutting in your teen, the worst thing you can do is freak out, become angry or emotional.
“Remember that you don’t have to (and can’t) solve anything in the moment,” she said. “Stay calm and caring. Hide shock.”
If the teen is willing to talk about it, simply listen without telling them they must stop. Make an appointment to meet with a professional who specializes in adolescent medicine. As doctors who have dealt with this kind of issue regularly, it is the best starting point.
“I am non-threatening to your child,” Dr. Lowery said. “I can talk to him or her from a safe perspective.”
Dr. Lowery added that she works to build trust and maintains confidentiality with her patients. She is often able to learn how the patient started cutting, how long it’s been going on.
“Some know, some don’t,” she admitted.
Dr. Lowery also tries to learn how the patient feels that cutting is beneficial, for example, does the teen cut to calm down? Do they need to relieve pain? Do they need to feel pain? Do they cut alone, or with a friend or group? The answers to these questions offer clues as to how the teen can best be helped.
Getting help helps. Seek help.
“We have open conversations about it,” Dr. Lowery noted. “Once I’ve confirmed that the teen isn’t suicidal, we start talking about other coping mechanisms.”
For example, some of her patients use deep breathing, bracelets, rubber bands or necklaces as part of mindful meditation when they have the urge to cut.
Cutting can be a symptom of a condition called Borderline Personality Disorder. For patients who may have this disorder, Dr. Lowery first works with psychology professionals to diagnose the condition. Patients often exhibit a long pattern of unstable romantic, family and social relationships.
Getting dialectical behavior therapy can help. A targeted form of cognitive behavior therapy, it helps patients learn to monitor and respond to mood swings and emotional triggers more positively, with safe coping behaviors.
In some instances, anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications may be recommended.
“By carefully educating, monitoring and selecting a medication, starting on low doses, and developing a clear plan with the patient, the medications can help patients gain control over their emotions,” Dr. Lowery explained. “I give realistic expectations. It takes a while to feel the improvement. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Start low, go slow and watch as we go. This is a scary time for families. It’s important to know that we will work together. Depending on how severe it is, we will act accordingly.”
For young people who feel the need to experiment with self injury, Dr. Lowery advised that they tell a trusted adult.
“I know it’s not what you want to do,” she said. “But you can feel better. You can stop scarring your body. Or tell a friend and ask them to help you get help.”
For those who might be the friend, know that you are doing your friend a favor by telling an adult. Cutting isn’t something to be embarrassed about. It is a sign that a person is having trouble working through some problems.
Help is available and can turn things around for the better. Everyone deserves to feel better. Everyone deserves help.
A special exhibition open at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM), Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863, and the March on Washington, 1963 examines the relationship between two great people’s movements, which both grew out of decades of bold actions, resistance, organization and vision. Changing America is only open through Sunday, Oct. 13.
One hundred years separate the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington, yet they are linked in a larger story of liberty and the American experience – one that has had a profound impact on the generations that followed.
Created by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History, the exhibit was toured nationwide by the American Library Association’s Public Program Office. The Changing America exhibit is now a possession of the GRPM.
In presenting and hosting it, the GRPM has enhanced it for West Michigan by including artifacts and stories from a local perspective. In addition to artifacts from the GRPM Collections, many artifacts on display are on loan from the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives (GRAAMA). Local stories are told through the eyes of our community, including oral histories. The exhibition includes a place for visitors to share their own stories, which are then added to the GRPM’s digital archive found at grpmcollections.org.
In addition to the exhibition, the GRPM collaborated with several community groups to offer community programming as part of the exhibition. Collaborations with local partners included Grand Rapids African American Museum & Archives, Grand Rapids Urban League, Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, Inclusive Performance Strategies, Westside Collaborative, Mosaic Film Experience, City of Grand Rapids Community Relations Commission, George Bayard, Jamiel Robinson, Rob Yob, Michael Curtis, Ellen James, Senita Lenear and Cynthia Bailey.
GRAAMA curated a corresponding exhibit 1863-1963 American Freedom at its 87 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids, location featuring local civil rights activists, quilts and interviews. For more information, visit graama.org.
Changing America at the Grand Rapids Public Museum is open through October 13, 2019, and is free with general admission. Kent County adult residents receive reduced general admission and Kent County resident children aged 17 and under receive free general admission to the GRPM thanks to the county-wide millage passed in 2016.
Changing America at the Grand Rapids Public Museum is sponsored by the David and Carol Van Andel Family Foundation, the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, and Steelcase Inc. The media sponsor for Changing America is Magic 104.9.
The VOICES Airstream parked at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Heartside
WKTV VOICES visited the Heartside district, and one of the many things we learned is that being homeless is exhausting. Go here to read and listen to what some Heartside residents and workers have to say about their experiences.
Time’s running out to share your vision
City leaders are looking for community input on the future of the City of Wyoming, and will be hosting another Wyoming [Re]Imagined meeting on Thursday, Oct. 3 from 6-8pm at Godwin Heights High School, 50 35th St. SW, Wyoming. More details here.
Well, isn’t that grand?
Woodland Mall sketch new entrance Von Maur wing 2019 (Supplied/Woodland Mall)
This fall, shoppers will enjoy the long-anticipated grand opening of first-to-portfolio department store Von Maur and the expansion of what will be known as the Von Maur wing at Woodland Mall, along with The Cheesecake Factory as a new dining anchor. Read all about it here.
Fun fact:
232 years
He was a very good boy
The number of years by which Adwaita outlived Lord Clive.
Lord Clive later became an opium addict and committed suicide in 1774 at the age of 49.
Adwaita’s shell cracked in 2005, and he died from infection and liver failure in 2006. At the time of his death, he was estimated to be between 150-255 years old.
If the topmost number is to be believed, then Adwaita outlived Clive by 232 years.
The new school year is finally here. Parents helping their younger children transition into the regular routine of daily school attendance will find a new focus on reading as their schools and their teachers prepare students for Michigan’s new law requiring demonstrated reading competency to move from the third to fourth grade.
In Spring 2020, third grade students will take the state’s M-STEP assessment as before, but all eyes will be on their reading scores. The M-STEP English Language Arts test will be used to determine whether students will be able to move onto the fourth grade or not. There are a number of conditions beyond the test score to be considered before a student is retained in third grade. All are new and should be understood by parents who will want to know all their options if their child’s reading score is low enough to trigger possible retention under Michigan’s “Read by Grade 3” law.
Where does this new retention requirement come from?
In the fall of 2016, the state legislature passed Public Act 306, also known as Michigan’s “Read by Grade 3” law. The law’s authors identify third grade as a critical point in a child’s educational career, marking the transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”. They maintain a child who cannot read well by the end of the third grade will struggle in future years to meet proficiency levels if their reading skills are insufficient to allow their understanding of core concepts in all subject areas. These concerns are borne out in student and school performance data, particularly for students of color and those who are economically disadvantaged.
While much of the law lays out foundational strategies to improve reading proficiency, its most controversial aspect is the retention of students who are unable to meet minimum state reading expectations as measured by their performance on the M-STEP third-grade reading assessment. This is not unique to Michigan. As of 2018, twenty-nine states plus the District of Columbia had retention policies on the books.
What are the specific requirements for retention?
Beginning with third graders in 2019-20, a student will not be able to move onto fourth grade unless any one of the following occur:
The student attains a minimum score of at least 1253 on the third grade English Language Arts portion of M-STEP. M-STEP scores range from 1203 to 1357. To learn more about the M-STEP, be sure to check out this primer.
The student demonstrates reading proficiency through a state-approved alternative assessment.
The student demonstrates reading proficiency through a classroom student portfolio.
No later than June 1, or 14 days after M-STEP assessment results are made available (whichever is earlier) each year, a letter must be sent to each household in which a student’s scores fall below the minimum threshold.
Students who demonstrate proficiency on the other subjects of the M-STEP, along with mastery of social studies and science through their coursework, would still be eligible to move onto grade four.
For those students retained in grade three, schools and districts must provide additional supports, interventions and resources in the subsequent school year. A student who is retained in grade three as a result of this law cannot be retained at that same grade level again for failure to meet adequate reading standards.
Is it possible for a student to be exempt from the retention requirement?
There are several “good cause” exemptions from retention. A student may be granted a “good cause” exemption under any one of the following conditions:
The student has an individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 plan, and is granted an exemption by the school.
The student is an English Learner with fewer than three years of English language instruction.
The student was previously retained in kindergarten, grade one, grade two or grade three, and had previously received intensive reading intervention for at least two years prior.
The student had been enrolled in their current school or district for less than two years, but was not provided an adequate individual reading improvement plan.
The superintendent grants a good cause exemption, after being successfully petitioned by a parent or legal guardian.
What is the process for a parent to petition for a “good cause” exemption?
Within 30 days of receiving an official M-STEP notification letter, a parent or legal guardian may choose to seek out a “good cause” exemption for their child. To do so, the parent or legal guardian must first reach out to their child’s teacher, who then passes along their recommendation to the district superintendent.
The superintendent’s decision is final, and must be communicated to the family at least 30 days before the beginning of the upcoming school year.
How many students may potentially be retained under the new law?
While we won’t know until Spring 2020 the number of students potentially retained within Kent ISD, it is possible to look back at the last five years of M-STEP data to get a rough approximation.
Looking at M-STEP data from 2014-15 through 2018-19, we estimate about 2-3 percent of third-grade students may be subject to retention. In 2018-19, this accounts for roughly 170 students in Kent ISD’s 20 traditional school districts. To note, these figures only represent the ceiling, as it doesn’t account for any exemptions from the law.
In terms of who may be potentially retained, our analysis finds these students will likely be disproportionately low-income and students of color. For example, while low-income students make up about half of all third graders in Kent ISD’s traditional school districts, they may make up about 80 percent of all retentions. Likewise, while students of color only account for about 40 percent of students, they could easily comprise up to 75 percent of all retained students.
The supports and strategies for improved achievement contained in the law — and additional state and federal funding targeted for “at-risk” students — are intended to provide additional services for these groups. Decades of data demonstrate economically disadvantaged students do not respond or perform as well on standardized tests. Their higher-income peers, on the other hand, enjoy greater financial security and can provide a broader range of educational experiences and support, if necessary.
Roughly 2-3 percent of Kent ISD area third grade students may be subject to retention under new “Read by Grade 3” Law
Data for Kent ISD include only LEA districts. MDE’s May 2019 retention guidance requires students with a scale score of 1252 or lower on the grade 3 M-STEP in ELA be subject to retention, barring any ‘good cause’ exemptions. Source: MDE, M-STEP English Language Arts 2018-19
Low-Income students and students of color may be disproportionately impacted by Michigan’s “Read by Grade 3” Law…
Data for Kent ISD include only LEA districts. MDE’s May 2019 retention guidance requires students with a scale score of 1252 or lower on the grade 3 M-STEP in ELA be subject to retention, barring any ‘good cause’ exemptions. Source: MDE, M-STEP English Language Arts 2018-19
Does retention actually work as a strategy?
Proponents of retention argue that without this law, schools in Michigan will continue to pass along far too many unprepared students. Those who oppose retention believe it does more harm than good, citing data demonstrating retention policies put students at greater risk for dropping out of high school.
A long-term study of Florida’s reading and retention law — first passed in the early 2000s — provides some important insight. Harvard University researchers concluded students retained under Florida’s reading law exhibited some short-term learning gains but found those benefits tend to fade over time, and are statistically insignificant after six years.
Where do we go from here?
Educators throughout West Michigan and statewide were preparing for this new law well before its passage, working to ensure students have the tools they need to be successful in literacy. This has ranged from literacy coaching, professional development for teachers and other innovative student support strategies. These have been enhanced by new state and regional efforts like the Reading Now Network, General Education Leadership Network, Michigan Education Corps and several others.
Educators and university researchers alike are sure to focus on student performance under the new law to determine if retention, or additional student support and literacy coaching for students and teachers alike, will achieve higher proficiency levels.
If you have further questions, please contact your student’s teachers and building principal to learn what they plan to do to provide support for your child and what you can do to better help your child read.
Community partners Kent County District Library and the Grand Rapids Public Library worked with local schools and have joined forces to offer after-school assistance for you and your child under their new “Mission Read” program.
A new exhibit titled, “Sunny Ways,” by local artist Ann Teliczan, opens at the Leep Art Gallery on Oct. 3 at the Postma Center on the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services campus in Grand Rapids.
Teliczan is a nationally acclaimed artist and photographer whose work is influenced by her love of nature. She is known for her unique and beautiful composite art that intrigues admirers and artists alike because of its extraordinary creation process.
Until 2003, she kept her work private as a form of personal expression. Teliczan’s technique continues to evolve, as she experiments with her unique creative process which is based on blending traditional painting using minerals, with cameraless, filmless digital captures that are printed on various substrates including canvas, art paper and acrylic.
Teliczan’s art is featured around the world in private collections, galleries, corporations, medical centers and military hospitals. Her art is known for its uplifting and positive energy.
The Pine Rest Leep Art Gallery exhibit will be on display at the Postma Center located at 300 68th Street, SE, Grand Rapids, Mich., from Oct. 3, to Jan 6. The Leep Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 616-222-4530 or go to www.pinerest.org/leep-art-gallery .
As the days get cooler, the autumn landscape blooms with golds, oranges, and reds of the changing leaves. From scenic drives along the Lake Michigan shoreline to winding trails through the inland forests, West Michigan celebrates the colors of the season with color tours, unique viewing experiences, and special fall stops along the way.
Driving, biking, and walking color tours
Jump into the car, onto a bike, or motorcycle and wander along the Harbor Country Fall Motor Tour. You’ll find easy stops to shop, pick a pumpkin or grapes, and ease back with great eats and an end-of-ride drink along the routes that runs between New Buffalo, Three Oaks, Union Pier, Lakeside, and Bridgman in Southwest Michigan.
The best places to view the fall colors in South Haven are on the nature trails. Hike or bike the Kal-Haven and Van Buren Trails, or kayak the Bangor/South Haven Heritage Water Trail under a canopy of fall colors.
Experience the fall colors of the Holland area as you climb Mount Pisgah, a towering dune east of Holland State Park, which is accessible via a boardwalk and stair system. With its apex 157 feet above Lake Michigan, the boardwalk culminates with scenic views of Lake Macatawa, Lake Michigan, and Big Red Lighthouse, surrounded by a heavily wooded area in vibrant hues of orange, red and, yellow. Or view the fall colors from the comfort of your car — here are a variety of driving routes around the greater Holland area.
Whether you are driving, hiking, biking or paddling, Ludington is a great place to explore the beauty of the fall season.
For the first three Saturdays in October, Muskegon and White Lake invite you to celebrate the vibrant colors of the area woods, dunes, and water with the Depot-to-Depot Fall Color Tour. Drive your car or ride your bike along this self-guided route that stretches from the Muskegon South Pierhead Light to the White River Light Station. Travel on some of Muskegon’s most scenic roads along Lake Michigan and the West Michigan Pike Byway. This tour is free and participants will receive fall refreshments and coupons to area businesses. There are also free pumpkins for the children and complimentary Visit Muskegon postcards for the grownups (while supplies last). Stamp your map at the designated stops and enter to win 2 round-trip passes for the Lake Express High-Speed Ferry between Muskegon and Milwaukee to use in the 2020 season. Check in on social media for chances to win weekly giveaways using #VisitMuskegon, #D2D19, and #LiveWhiteLake.
With Fall on its way, so is the Mecosta County Fall Color Tour. The 2nd Annual Fall Color Tour is being coordinated by Jeep Freakz of Michigan, and they’ll be riding with the Reed City Trail Rides Off Road Group. On Saturday, Oct. 5th, from 11:30am-5:30pm, the groups plan to travel to Hungerford before exploring other local trails throughout Big Rapids and Mecosta County.
You can also enjoy a Mecosta County Color Tour through self-guided canoe and kayak trips down the Muskegon River. Stop in to the Welcome Center at 127 South State Street in Big Rapids, or visit BigRapids.org to pick-up/download the Color Tour brochure.
Manistee County has two fall color seasons: Inland and Coastal. Check out the latest fall color tour routes and videos for weekly fall color updates live from around Manistee County and Northern Michigan.
Great color, beautiful scenery and interesting places to stop — you’ll find it all in the Petoskey Area. Five suggested routes take you in and around Harbor Springs, Petoskey, Charlevoix, and Boyne City — some offer lake views and all are known as favorite places to enjoy fall’s splendor.
The drive around Lake Charlevoix is a great color route; this journey will take you on the Breezeway through both East Jordan and Boyne City. The surrounding countryside is full of gently rolling hills and abundant foliage that is sure to satisfy that fall color trip you’ve been waiting for.
The contrasting evergreen and hardwood forests of the Grayling area are spectacular in autumn. Nature enthusiasts will enjoy a leisurely drive down the back roads, biking or hiking through Hartwick Pines State Park, or taking in the riverside colors while canoeing down the world famous AuSable and Manistee Rivers.
Set on the shores of Lake Superior, Travel Marquette has partnered with Noquemanon Trail Network (NTN), the leading trail network in the Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan, to deliver ‘Trail Talks’, enriching and engaging talks and expert led tours of the region throughout the 2019 summer and fall season. On Oct. 16 from 6:30-8:30pm, Travel Marquette and NTN will host a Picture This Trail Talk where expert photographer Shawn Malone shows trekkers how to capture the beauty of fall foliage with all levels of equipment including smartphones. Register for free to help organizers plan for the event. Location to meet the group: Marquette Board of Light and Power, 2200 Wright Street, Marquette, MI 49855.
Unique ways to view the fall foliage
Watch as Benzie County transforms into a kaleidoscope of color during Fall Chairlift Rides at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville. Fall Chairlift Rides are available select dates through the month of October.
Enjoy the beautiful fall colors from the deck of the 77′ schooner Inland Seas as she sails around Suttons Bay. Fall is a relaxing season in northern Michigan as temperatures are comfortable and traffic is light. On this sail, participants can help the crew in raising the sails and steering the ship, or just sit back and relax while taking in the wonder our Great Lakes provide us. Cost is $30 for adults and $20 for children. For more information, visit schoolship.org/buy-tickets.
Courtesy West Michigan Tourist Association
Two of the Mitten’s premiere paddlesport rivers, the Pine and the Big Manistee, wind their way through beautiful river valleys, revealing new color palettes at every bend. The Pine River Paddlesports Center in Wellston is here to make your fall color tour on the river an absolute breeze.
Experience Mother Nature’s fall color show from a different perspective. Hop on the Blue Chairlift in Shanty Creek Resort’s Schuss Village in Bellaire for a colorful ride to the top of Schuss Mountain. Just $5 per person, Chairlift Rides take place from noon-4pm on Saturdays through Oct. 19th.
Take a fall foliage tour via the Chippewa River by kayak or canoe and explore the fall foliage or hike to the “elusive” mountain in Mt. Pleasant, Bundy Hill Preserve, home to the highest point in Isabella County.
Home to more than 100 lakes, including two chains of lakes, getting out on the water in Coldwater Country is the best way to see the fantastic fall foliage. Launch a boat, kayak, or canoe at one of the many public access points or rent a boat from one of the area marinas to get out on the water.
Stops to add to your color tour
Looking for the perfect spot to take in the fall color with a glass of wine in hand? Located on the 16th floor of Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Williamsburg, Aerie Restaurant & Lounge gives you 360-degree views of Northern Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. Best of all, Aerie is a three-time Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner, so whether you’re looking for an Old World classic or a local favorite, you’ll find the perfect bottle.
The Courtyard by Marriott Petoskey is your perfect beginning and end to your fall color tour. Only 15 minutes from M-119, the new property offers refreshing rooms and a bistro to share with family, friends, and loved ones alike.
After a day of exploring Northern Michigan, stop in downtown Charlevoix for dinner, a craft beer, or a tasty treat. Explore downtown boutiques for fall discounts and one-of-a-kind merchandise. While taking a fall color tour, celebrate nature’s harvest at the annual Apple Festival, Oct. 11th-13th, where you can enjoy an art and craft show, a variety of food vendors, and family friendly events. Stop at Friske’s Farm Market in Atwood to enjoy numerous tasty treats like a slice of apple pie, you-pick apples, and apple cider.
Lewis Farms & Petting Zoo in New Era is the perfect place to stop for all your fall favorite goodies along the beautiful drive up US-31 between Muskegon and Ludington. Stop in the market for apple cider and fresh donuts, pick up some delicious Michigan apples, or grab a bag of our homemade kettle corn to snack on along the way.
Crane’s is a family owned, family run business that has been a treasured travel destination in West Michigan for decades, nestled in the lush, rolling hills of their family’s fruit farms just minutes from Lake Michigan’s shore.
Special events to celebrate autumn colors
An annual celebration of autumn, Chrysanthemums & More, on display now through Oct. 27th at Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, is the largest show of its kind in Michigan, featuring expansive chrysanthemum displays, fall foliage and family friendly activities. Mum Day, Oct. 20th will provide members and guests an opportunity to interact with horticulture staff and learn more about the fascinating chrysanthemum and fall themed plantings.
Courtesy West Michigan Tourist Association
Gaylord’s Treetops Resort will be holding a Fall Color Tour and Progressive Dinner on Oct. 5th and a Farm 2 Fork dinner on Oct. 12th.
Celebrate the vibrant fall colors of Southwest Michigan. Maple Row Sugarhouse is one of the stops on the Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce’s Fall Color Tour, which takes place Oct. 13th from 10am-5pm. Tour the Sugarbush and learn how maple sap is collected, enjoy samples of many different maple products, and learn how the French colonials made maple syrup and maple sugar.
Otsego Resort in Gaylord will host Wine & Cheese Color Tour Saturday, Oct. 19th, beginning at 2pm.
What you don’t know about bone health may hurt you. Get in the know with a doctor’s expert information about osteoporosis. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
The sunny days of summer are long gone, which means it’s time for all of us to start taking our vitamin D supplements.
Vitamin D is a necessary and crucial component of bone health. Unfortunately, we often don’t think about bone health until it is too late and the damage is done.
Osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, is often a silent disease. By the time a fracture occurs, there are usually several other bones already affected.
The good news is that osteoporosis can be prevented. And, if your bones are already weak, there are ways to keep more loss from happening and strategies to keep fractures to a minimum.
Bone mass reaches a peak
Our bones are constantly turning over and renewing. In fact, there are cells that build new bone and others that break it down to make way for new bone.
Our bone mass level and fracture risk depend on the rate of new bone growth compared to the rate of breakdown.
Most women reach a peak bone mass at age 32 and lose a small amount of bone mass every year. In the first five years of menopause, if a woman does not take estrogen, her bone loss will accelerate, increasing her risk for issues such as osteoporosis.
If we aren’t active enough, our builder cells don’t think they are needed and won’t make new bone. Osteoporosis can result, making our bones weak enough to increase the risk for a fracture from minimal trauma—like stepping off a curb awkwardly or a minor fall.
We also need to be aware of a similar but less severe disease than osteoporosis: Osteopenia can occur when the bones are thinner than they should be at a given age.
Osteoporosis has a staggering effect on women’s health.
The most common fractures occur in the hip, but can also occur in the wrist and upper leg bone, with a possibility of micro fractures in the spinal bones.
You may be surprised to learn that another, less well-known complication of osteoporosis is the loss or cracking of teeth and poor healing after dental procedures.
Unfortunately, the effects of osteoporosis impacts our lives in many different ways. There may be surgeries to repair fractures, time off work and physical therapy. Complications from surgery may also occur, including weight gain, muscle weakening, infection, pneumonia and even stroke. Chronic pain can become an issue as well, especially for spinal bone fractures.
The risk factors of osteoporosis are numerous, but the most common are aging, vitamin D deficiency, inactivity, oral steroid intake, cigarette smoking and poor calcium intake.
For women who are underweight, they are at risk of rapid bone loss due to not having enough stress on their bones. There are many other, less common risk factors, including the following: medical issues such as eating disorders and poor nutrition, excessive consumption of carbonated sodas, and poor absorption of nutrients due to colon problems (prior gastric bypass or Celiac disease).
A family history of osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, early menopause due to surgery or chemotherapy, or lupus can also increase a woman’s risk of developing osteoporosis.
Options and opportunities
I had a patient I’ll call Sue several years ago who was diagnosed
with osteoporosis. I saw Sue in my office just after she started
menopause.
As I always do with my menopause patients, I asked about her risk factors for accelerated bone loss. Sue was at a healthy weight but only exercised occasionally. She didn’t have any medical risk factors and had never had a fracture before, but she had also never taken a vitamin D supplement. Because Sue was in menopause and had never taken vitamin D, I ordered a DEXA scan—an enhanced form of X-ray technology that is used to measure bone loss.
When I called Sue with the results of her DEXA scan, she was not pleased. Her results showed that she had osteoporosis, and she had a greater than 20 percent risk for an osteoporotic fracture in the next 10 years. She also had a greater than 35 percent risk of a hip fracture during the same time period.
Sue’s reaction was very typical of many others when they are told they have osteoporosis. She was angry at herself, but she was also angry at the medical community because, at that time, we were not yet routinely recommending vitamin D supplementation.
She had always been told to wear sunscreen, which she did, whenever she went outside. And now she was being told a lack of vitamin D possibly contributed to her osteoporosis diagnosis? It just didn’t seem fair.
Once Sue’s anger subsided, we discussed what she should do next. I tested her for thyroid disease, vitamin D deficiency and parathyroid disease. Since Sue was in menopause, we discussed estrogen patches and pills that are FDA-approved for the prevention of osteoporosis. Sue chose not to take estrogen, but she was open to other options.
Although the tests showed Sue’s vitamin D level was very low, her other tests were normal—good news! So, we came up with a plan to keep Sue’s bones as healthy as possible.
I explained that the most important factors for keeping bones strong and preventing fractures is to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. I recommended Sue start on a prescription vitamin D tablet of 50,000 IU per week for two months and then 2,000 IU per day after that. I also suggested calcium-rich foods such as dairy products, almond or soy milk, and dark, leafy greens.
For exercise, we created a routine that included walking, jogging, Zumba classes and weight lifting. On days when Sue simply couldn’t fit in a workout, I advised her to jump up and down 50 times as a way to remind her bones to stay healthy.
In addition to diet and exercise, we discussed a few different prescription drugs, such as Raloxifene or Bisphoshonates, that help treat and prevent osteoporosis.
In the end, Sue chose to look at the situation as a gift. She strove to maintain the bones she already had and make them as strong as possible.
So many women come into the office and share now familiar symptoms.
“Why am I gaining weight?”
“I do not feel like myself!”
“How do I avoid a heart attack so I do not suffer like my mom?!”
“I am afraid to go out in the winter because I do not want to break a hip.”
“How do I deal with all of my stress?!”
Women’s health is different than men’s health and the topic deserves research and attention to better recognize and offer the best prevention and treatment options to women.
Menopause symptoms are important to understand and treat as these symptoms can be a sign more is going on under the surface.
Low estrogen causes hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. It also accelerates development of heart disease, bone loss, diabetes and obesity.
Emotional changes can be a sign of the existence of a high level of stress from handling kids and aging parents. Or this can be a red flag symptom of changing levels of brain chemicals, less sleep and a need for improved coping tools.
Women who cope well with life and body changes have three things in common:
1. They believe they deserve to be happy.
2. They keep a support network around them.
3. They ask for help when they need it.
A patient I’ll call Katie came to us because she was facing the perfect storm of menopause and felt like it was a hurricane.
She had all the symptoms—hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, insomnia, bladder urgency and low sex drive.
She no longer felt motivated to get up early to exercise and ate cookies at 3 p.m. to stay awake.
She and her husband argued about minor things, especially about how to deal with their son who was failing his class. Her mom, who’d suffered a stroke, fell and broke her hip in the assisted living center.
Work seemed crazy as her boss had left and she had to do both their jobs until a replacement could be found.
Katie came to us because she heard we could help with hot flashes. We certainly could offer meds and call it a day, but we see such a situation as an opportunity to become her partner in her health and consider all options.
This included a practical plan for a healthy lifestyle using the SEEDS, tracking and treating her symptoms, and assessing her health risks for bone loss, stroke and heart attack.
We also know emotional health is a big part of healthy aging. We support this facet of wellness by listening, discussing how the SEEDS can support the body and mind, and also having a team that includes a psychotherapist who can help our patients cope with strong emotions.
Three months later, Katie had improved sleep, better moods, only a rare hot flash, and she and her husband had a plan worked out with their son. Her mom had started to heal and feel better, and she was excelling in her new role at work.
Further, she ate better, took her vitamin D and calcium, and made time for small bursts of exercise. She no longer needing cookies to stay awake.
Best of all, she had a plan to reduce her risk of stroke, heart attack and bone loss.
Her hurricane of menopause had passed and life returned to smooth sailing.
Thriller! Chiller! International Fantastic Film Festival announces its official selections and final schedule for this year’s festival on Oct. 8-12 at the Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids.
The action, sci-fi, suspense and horror-themed film festival will screen a total of 64 independent movies from 8 countries in the genres of sci-fi, action, suspense, and horror at the five-day event. The lineup includes: 13 features and 40 shorts, including 10 Michigan movies. Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Republic of Korea, Sweden, U.S., UK are represented at this year’s festival.
Cult classic screenings of five, fun, fantastic films round out the event:
Night of the Living Dead
Shaun of the Dead
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
Bride of Frankenstein
The Evil Dead (First-round, limited-release EXCLUSIVE screening of digitally remastered, with a new reimagined scoreby original composer, Mr. Joseph LoDuca.)
The Evil Dead SFX and Makeup arts TOM SULLIVAN to appear and give a presentation on his art created for the Evil Dead franchise (Saturday)
* Zom-Com DOUBLE FEATURE – Night of the Living Dead & Shaun of the Dead (Tuesday) *BRIDEZILLA!! – (yes, there will be costumes & cake!) Featuring Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (Thursday) + Bride of Frankenstein (Friday Night Freak-out) *Cosplay and costume contests. Private Party & Online screenings available for Passholders only.
2019 Thriller! Chiller! Pass Information
All-Access Pass or Day Pass
Individual Tickets available for “The Evil Dead” screening & presentation
Pricing
Entry is priced two ways for maximum access: All Access to the entire festival; or all access by the day in the form of a Day Pass. There will be no tickets to individual screenings available except for the EVIL DEAD screening and Tom Sullivan talk sold separately at $8.
All-Access Festival Pass, $50
Day Pass, $12 Tuesday – Friday
Day Pass, $20 Saturday
The Evil Dead, $8 for only this film + Tom Sullivan presentation
THEATRE A – MEANWHILE MOVIES presented by Thriller! Chiller! – 8pm, Night of the Living Dead – 10pm, Shaun of the Dead
THEATRE B – 8pm, The Tangle with The Call – 10pm, Volition with Zero
Wednesday, Oct. 9
THEATRE B – ONLY – 6pm, SHORTS BLOCK: Rebecca Gold, Boy!, Kiss the Devil in the Dark, Exhibit Man – 8pm, Ascension (feature) with The Phone Call
Thursday, Oct. 10
THEATRE A – 6pm, MICHIGAN SHORTS BLOCK: Emergency Alert, Puppet Dimension, Roulette, Living Deadhead, Keeper of the Light, Poaching Death, Emma, Bury Me, The Hunt for the GorillaDactyl
Michigan Film & Digital Media Office’s $250 Filmmaker Grant to be announced!
– 8pm,Rockford Brewing Company presents Godzilla vs. Destoroyah – North American Big Screen Premiere of this cult gem!
THEATRE B – 6pm, The Invisible Mother with The 404 Diner – 8pm, Fugue with Madame
Friday, Oct. 11
FRIDAY NIGHT FREAK-OUT The wildest, bloodiest, most offbeat movies screen on Thriller! Chiller!
THEATRE A – 6pm, Bob Freeman: Exterminator for Hire with Night of the Fluffet, Braineater, Five Course Meal
Storey Award presentation will take place prior to the Bride of Frankenstein event.
– 8pm, “Bride of Frankenstein” with “Filth“
Including a Best of Bride of Frankenstein cosplay and a special guest Emcee to be announced later this week.
THEATRE B – 6pm, To Your Last Death with The Devil’s Fire – 8pm, Barney Burman’s Wild Boar with Rough Love, Lost Lake
Saturday, Oct. 12
Saturday Spook-a-thon
THEATRE A – 12pm, The Dark Red with Bad Dream – 2pm, Super Shorts – Block One Bad Dreams, Anacronte, Ripple, Heads will Roll, Atomic Ed, Lili Sees You, Jacindu – 4pm, Attack of the Demons with Don’t Croak and Moon Ghost – 6:30pm, Film Awards Ceremony –7pm, THE EVIL DEAD event: TOM SULLIVAN. Make-up, props and SFX artist for the Evil Dead series, Tom Sullivan, presentation on his art created for the Evil Dead franchise. Sponsored by Asifa.org. – 8pm – EVIL DEAD screening.
This is the EXCLUSIVE theatrical release of Sam Raimi’s EVILDEAD by Grindhouse Releasing featuring the reimagined score by original composer, Mr. Joseph LoDuca and an all-new 5.1 surround-sound mix.
THEATRE B – 12pm, Friday the 13th: The Conspiracy Begins! with Friday Night Death Slot -2pm, Straight Edge Kegger -4pm, Beast Mode with Blank Verse -6pm, Super Shorts – Block Two Zero, Miracle Desert, Last Trip, The Hand, Bleeding Backs, 12/14, The Alluring Frontier, The Furious Gospel of Johnny Tan
For continuing coverage of Thriller! Chiller! news:
Between the corridors of West Godwin Elementary is a courtyard area. Last spring, it was all pavement and grass. Now, it’s brimming with sunflowers, zucchini, watermelons, carrots, and cucumbers.
The new garden is a collaboration between West Godwin’s T.E.A.M. 21 after school program and H.O.P.E. Gardens, a Wyoming-based nonprofit that teaches students in grades K-12 about sustainable ways to grow food while “Helping Other People Eat,” which is what the name stands for.
First grader A’Sahra Kanjia explores the garden. (School News Network)
Ellen Veenkant is the site coordinator for the building’s T.E.A.M. 21 program. Last April, she received a grant from the Michigan Community Service Council to plant the garden.
On their first visit to the garden, students had the opportunity to harvest two items to take home.
“My favorite food was the watermelon. It was juicy,” said first grader Aixi Medina-Mati. “I like that we get to plant veggies and fruit. I liked eating the basil leaves too. It’s important to have a garden so we can get flowers and food.”
“Who wants to sample some cucumbers?” Julie Brunson asked students.
“Meeeeeeee!” answered a chorus of first, second, and third graders.
Julie and her husband, Rich Brunson, visit the school every other week and work with students to maintain the garden. The Brunsons founded H.O.P.E. Gardens to fulfill an idea dreamed up by Rich, who had experienced homelessness and hunger as a teen in the Wyoming area.
Second grader Andy Valenzuela samples the harvest. (School News Network)
The couple work alongside students, teaching them about sunflowers, encouraging them to chew mint leaves, and showing them what’s ripe for the picking.
Julie said that besides the obvious benefits of teaching students to garden and providing fresh produce, there is another plus to a garden at school: working in the dirt is good for you, and can uplift your mood. Students don’t always realize it, she said, but this is their happy place.
The Brunsons want students to take ownership of the space. Julie makes a habit of starting discussions by asking students, ‘Whose garden is this?”
“Our garden!” is the answer.
While H.O.P.E. Gardens is doing similar work in other districts, this garden is the first of its kind in Godwin Heights Public Schools.
Autumn is just about here — and that means it’s time to fill your calendars with some fun, fall-themed events. This season of cool nights, brisk mornings, and changing leaves is a lovely time to refresh with new activities. Whether you’re a Pumpkin Spice Latte fan or you’re counting down the days until you taste Thanksgiving stuffing, here are some senior-friendly fall activities to enjoy autumn with your loved ones.
1. Decorate for fall
Take an hour — or if you’re inspired, a whole weekend — and put away those summertime clothes and household items you won’t need this fall. Once you’ve de-cluttered, it’s time to decorate.
Create a fall centerpiece for your table with miniature pumpkins and dried leaves.
A cozy, plaid blanket is a nice touch for a recliner or rocker.
Turn your door into a lovely autumn entrance with a festive seasonal wreath.
Collect fallen leaves to use in your decor.
Embrace warm fall colors like red, orange, and yellow.
Have fun with pumpkins. Display them on festive plates, in glass vases, or on a bookshelf.
2. Create autumn-themed artwork
Creating beautiful things is fun and therapeutic for all of us, no matter our age. During the fall months, craft stores overflow with wreaths, pumpkins, and scarecrows, and a quick internet search turns up ideas for dozens of easy projects.
Cut paper or fabric into leaf shapes and hang a garland from a fireplace or doorway.
Paint stay acorns or even dip them in glitter.
Press fallen leaves and frame them for a striking autumn wall hanging.
If in-depth craft projects aren’t right for you, an autumn-themed adult coloring book is a calming option. Psychologists recommend coloring as a relaxation technique. There is a huge variety of coloring books available today, so you’ll be sure to find one that suits your style.
3. Enjoy the brisk fall weather
For those of us who couldn’t spend much time outside during the hot summer, the autumn months are a perfect chance to relax outdoors. Many communities offer fun fall activities for the whole family, such as corn mazes, hay rides, or pumpkin patches.
To ensure a healthful day outdoors, remember to check the weather report. Fall weather can change unexpectedly, so make sure you choose appropriate clothing. Don’t forget hats and sunscreen — UV rays can still cause skin damage even on cloudy days. Also, hydration is essential even after the hot summer months, so make sure to bring extra water.
4. Enjoy autumn treats
Everyone has a favorite fall flavor, from spiced apple cider to the classic Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. Whether you’re an experienced chef, or if a trip to the local bakery is more your style, make time for a special fall meal.
If you or your loved ones are creative in the kitchen, plan a day of cooking together. For aging adults who are not as active as they once were, perhaps more able loved ones can assist with shopping for a favorite fall menu to prepare and enjoy. Some families have traditional recipes perfect for this time of year. Or you can keep it simple and just enjoy a delicious slice of pie after lunch.
These senior-friendly fall activities are a great way to have a refreshing autumn season with your family. Whether you’re crunching through piles of brightly colored leaves or carving a fat orange pumpkin with your grandchild, fall is a special season and a great time to rejuvenate.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced today the 2019 dates for its annual Ethnic Heritage Celebration, bringing cultural immersive experience to school groups during the last week of October and culminating with a public celebration of Ethnic Heritage Festival on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The City of Grand Rapids and the surrounding region have a long-standing history of diversity and various cultural traditions dating back from early explorers and fur traders, to modern day cultural rituals from new residents of the region.
Schools groups are invited to visit the GRPM for Native American Cultural Days as part of the Celebration on Oct. 23 and 24, and the public is invited to the Ethnic Heritage Festival on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Native American Culture Days invites field trips to learn first-hand about Native American regalia, dance and music and immerse in the rich history of local Native American cultures.
Ethnic Heritage Festival is a day-long celebration of music, dance, crafts and food representing the various ethnic groups that call West Michigan home. Beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 26, the event features a variety of traditions, performances and presentations. The Museum Café will feature ethnic food selections. Event activities are included with general admission to the Museum.
Organizations participating in this year’s festival include Grand Rapids Scottish Society, End of Trail Jewelry, The Gaelic League/Irish American Club of West Michigan, ASSE International Student Exchange Program and more. Performers include Motherland House Concerts, Woodland Boys Drum, Red Cloud Dance Group, India Link, Shimmy USA and more.
Visitors will be able to view the Museum’s exhibitions, with two specific exhibitions having a primary focus on diversity and culture: Newcomers: The People of This Place which highlights the ethnic groups that have settled the Grand Rapids area, and Anishinabek: The People of this Place which focuses on the Native American culture in the region.
Please visit grpm.org/EHF for additional information about the Ethnic Heritage Festival, and more on the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s exhibitions and programs.
Exercise is a great way to stay youthful and even turn back the clock on aging.
If you’re new to exercise or simply want a fitness reboot, here are ideas by the decade.
In your 20s
Experiment with different workouts to find what you enjoy. Make exercise a regular habit that you won’t want to give up, even when career and family make heavy demands on you.
In your 30s
Short on time? Try three 15-minute walks spread throughout the day. To stay fit and retain muscle, do cardio just about every day and strength training two or three times a week. If you’re new to exercise, take classes or have a personal trainer create a program for you.
In your 40s
Enhance your weekly routine by doing both low-intensity exercise, like yoga for stress relief and flexibility, and high-intensity workouts, like interval training or a spin or kettlebell class, to boost calorie burn and muscle elasticity. Expect longer recovery times after high-intensity workouts, so make sure to get enough sleep.
In your 50s
Regular exercise remains a must, but ask your doctor for modifications if you have any chronic conditions. Varying your workouts or taking up a new sport will engage your brain as well as different muscles. Get in at least one or two high-intensity workouts a week and try to take active vacations that include favorite pastimes like biking, hiking or even walking tours.
In your 60s and beyond
Stay fit and strong to stay independent longer, and stay socially engaged by taking group classes. Stick with strength training, but consider using machines rather than free weights for more control. Water workouts may be easier on joints, too, especially if you have arthritis. But always keep moving. Try tai chi for flexibility and balance, and go dancing for fun and fitness.
In 2001, Pianist Olga Kern was the first women in 30 years to win the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. She performs with the Grand Rapids Symphony Oct. 4 – 5. (Supplied)
The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was launched after American pianist Van Cliburn in 1958 won the Gold Medal at the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition, shocking the world by playing Russian music better than Russian pianists.
Russian-born pianist Olga Kern’s first attempt at the Van Cliburn competition in 1997 didn’t go as well. Eliminated in the preliminary rounds, the 22-year-old pianist returned to Russia, newly divorced with an infant to support.
Four years later, Kern, returned to Fort Worth, Texas, becoming the first woman in more than 30 years to win the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn Competition. Her story is told in the award-winning TV documentary, “Playing on the Edge” about the 2001 Van Cliburn.
“Van Cliburn could play Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky’s music like nobody could before him, and it was in such a great Russian way,” Kern said in an interview in Playbill in June 2018. “I say ‘Russian way’ because the Russians are always sad, even if they are happy.”
Widely acclaimed for her interpretations of Tchaikovsky among other composers, Kern joins the Grand Rapids Symphony for Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet, a program entirely devoted to the music of the great Russian composer, at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4-5, in DeVos Performance Hall.
Music Director Marcelo Lehninger leads the orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s final work, the magnificent “Pathetique” Symphony No. 6. The evening opens with the romantic Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy.
Kern, a naturalized American citizen who has lived in New York since her Van Cliburn prize, will be soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat.
“Tchaikovsky took Russian music to another level through his use of Russian folk music,” told Playbill in June 2018. “It is what makes his music sound so Russian. But because he learned so much from Europeans and ultimately took so much from all over the world, this lends his music a universal quality.”
“The way he used piano and orchestra together in a concerto is a totally different level of concerto composition,” she said. “Because before then it was a competition between the instrument and the orchestra. But Tchaikovsky really blended the piano with the orchestra.”
Kern, who won first prize at the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition at age 17, comes from a long line of eminent musicians. Her parents are pianists, her mother teaches at Moscow Conservatory of Music, and her brother, Vladimir Kern, is a conductor.
Kern’s great-great grandmother was a friend of Tchaikovsky’s. Her great-grandmother was a mezzo soprano who, by accident, became a collaborator with Rachmaninoff.
“One day, she was on tour with Rachmaninoff songs, and her accompanist got sick. These songs are very difficult for the pianist, and she had to find somebody to accompany her,” Kern said.
As fate would have it, the composer himself, also on tour, happened to be in the same town. When word reached him, Rachmaninoff himself offered to step in.
Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3 began with sketches the composer meant for his Symphony No. 6. Eventually, he decided to recast it as a concerto for piano and orchestra.
Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique” Symphony No. 6 was his final work. After completing it, he confessed, “I consider this symphony the best thing I have ever done. In any case, it is the most deeply felt. And I love it as I have never loved any of my compositions.”
He died nine days after its premiere, a victim of cholera. He was 53 years old.
Inside the Music, a free, pre-concert, multi-media presentation sponsored by BDO USA, will be held before each performance at 7 p.m. in the DeVos Place Recital Hall.
Tickets for Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet start at $18 and are available at the Grand Rapids Symphony box office, weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across the street from Calder Plaza). Call (616) 454-9451 x 4 to order by phone. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum).
Tickets are available at the DeVos Place ticket office, weekdays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. or on the day of the concert beginning two hours before the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.
Special Offers
Full-time students of any age can purchase tickets for $5 on day of the concert by enrolling in the GRS Student Ticketsprogram, sponsored by Calvin University. Discounts also are available to members of MySymphony360, the Grand Rapids Symphony’s organization for young professionals ages 21-35.
Students age 7-18 also are able to attend for free when accompanied by an adult. Free for Kids tickets must be purchased in advance at the GRS Ticket office. Up to two free tickets are available with the purchase of a regular-price adult ticket. Go online for more details.
Symphony Scorecard provides members up to four free tickets for most Grand Rapids Symphony concerts. Members of the community receiving financial assistance from the State of Michigan and members of the U.S. Armed Forces, whether on active or reserve duty or serving in the National Guard, are eligible. Go online for information on signing up with a Symphony Scorecard Partner Agency.
The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) announced this week its new exhibition, Relevant: Abstraction from GRAM’s Collection, curated by Exhibitions Curator at UICA, Juana Williams. Relevant will be on view in GRAM’s Level 3 permanent collection galleries through Jan. 5.
GRAM periodically invites guest curators to work with the Museum’s collection to bring new ideas and perspectives to its members and visitors.
“We’re excited to partner with UICA’s Juana Williams to present Relevant at the Grand Rapids Art Museum,” commented GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. “She brings a fresh perspective to curating the Museum’s collection, and the exhibition offers our visitors the opportunity to experience the artwork through a new lens.”
For Relevant, Williams has assembled eleven abstract paintings and works on paper from GRAM’s permanent collection, most created by artists half-a-century or more after abstraction’s invention in the early 20th century. During the 1950s through the 1970s, when most of the works in the exhibition were created, artists were evaluating whether abstraction could still be a relevant form of expression. Two works by African American artist Mavis Pusey are on view for the first time in Relevant. Pusey’s abstract screenprints are inspired by the energy and chaos of the strikes and demonstrations which occurred in Paris during the summer of 1968, illustrating how artists can use abstraction to reference real-world events.
“As an art curator, I’m always looking for ways to use art to collaborate, start conversations, and build relationships,” shared Juana Williams, Exhibitions Curator at UICA. “Having the opportunity to curate Relevant at GRAM and SPECTRA at UICA embodied those interactions, and our partnership encourages the West Michigan community to explore both venues while previewing a sampling of the history of and continued relevance of abstract art.”
Relevant is on view concurrently with the UICA’s exhibition SPECTRA, also curated by Williams. While Relevant focuses exclusively on two-dimensional 20th century abstraction, SPECTRA features works of contemporary abstract and non-representational art that break from traditional mediums and concepts and provide insight into alternative modes of expression.
Conceived together, Relevant and SPECTRA examine abstract art through historical and contemporary lenses. Together, they show how abstraction has remained relevant for over 100 years by both addressing its own history and legacy and by continually adapting and diversifying with the times.
A couple of weeks ago, the Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce helped marked the opening of the area’s newest hotel, Try by Hilton Grand Rapids Airport.
Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce representatives and Tru by Hilton officials cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the new Kentwood hotel. (Chamber)
The chamber hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new hotel located at 4570 28th St. SE in Kentwood, right next to the Home Depot and across from the Wyndham Garden Grand Rapids Airport and the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Grand Rapids Airport.
Just three miles north of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, the hotel, which is owned and managed by Auburn Hills-based Midwest Lodging Group, is 42,000 square feet. The hotel has 98 rooms with a lobby designed for guests to work and lounge. There also is a 24/7 market for snacks and drinks and a fitness center.
GVSU’s annual Shakespeare Festival returns this weekend featuring one of the Bard’s most famous comedies “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.” Roger Ellis directs the production that centers around four young lovers who leave Athens due to a law that requires a daughter to marry the wrong man or die. The group ends up in the lair of some fairies who decide to have some fun with them and a group of bumbling actors. Opening night is Friday Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. with shows running this weekend and next.
Music for the Soul
Shayna Steele joins the Grand Rapids Symphony for the “Queens of Soul.” (Supplied)
The Grand Rapids Pops pays tribute to the voices that revolutionized rock and revitalized R&B with Queens of Soul on Sept. 27-29 in DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave. NW, to open the 2019-2020 Fox Motors Pops series. Special guest vocalists Shayna Steele, Kelly Levesque and Brie Cassil will be joining the Grand Rapids Symphony for such songs as Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary,” and Patti LaBelle’s “New Attitude.” Tickets start at $18 for adults and $5 for students. Visit grsymphony.org.
Lending Your Voice
WKTV Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma with St. Cecilia Music Center Executive Director Cathy Holbrook. (WKTV)
St. Cecilia Music Center kicks of its season on Oct. 3 when country and folk singer Lee Ann Womack visits Grand Rapids. Or you could wait until Oct. 20 for when Judy Collins makes her way to the the facility located on 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Better yet, just visit scmc-online.org to check out the full St. Cecilia Music Center season, which includes a classical, jazz and folk. Want a few more hints? How about Rosanne Cash Feb. 19. For more, list to the Locally Entertaining podcast.
https://youtu.be/22R5IgxP_pg
Fun Fact: Country Royalty
Since Rosanne Cash is coming to Grand Rapids (in February), we could not resist digging into her family past. Most people know Rosanne is the daughter of country legend Johnny Cash. Her mother was June Carter Cash, who was the daughter of Maybelle Carter. Maybelle was one third of The Carter Family, which also included A.P. Carter and his wife Sara. The Carter Family is considering the first family of country music.
It’s not always possible to lower cholesterol through diet alone—sometimes there’s no way to override your DNA. Sometimes medication becomes a must.
But certain foods can be part of the plan to improve your numbers, to both lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the bad one, and raise your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the good one.
First, choose foods with soluble fiber.
Think of this type of fiber as a magnet, drawing cholesterol out of your body. Good sources are oats, oat bran and barley, along with beans, eggplant and okra. When used in recipes, these foods tend to take on the flavors of other ingredients, so be adventurous with recipe planning—and generous with herbs and spices.
Apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits are good choices because of their pectin, a type of soluble fiber.
Next, go for foods with polyunsaturated fats. These include vegetable oils like canola, sunflower and safflower, as well as fatty fish like salmon, rich with omega-3 fatty acids, and most types of seeds and nuts.
Plant-based foods also contain substances called plant sterols and stanols, which help keep the body from absorbing cholesterol.
Particularly good sources are Brussel sprouts, wheat germ and wheat bran, peanuts and almonds, and olive, sesame and canola oils.
In terms of foods to limit, talk to your doctor about your unique needs. High-cholesterol foods like shellfish and eggs aren’t as dangerous as once thought. The verdict is still out on the saturated fat found in meat, but some research has found that full-fat yogurt, milk and even cheese may be good for you.
The one type of fat to completely avoid is trans fat.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned its addition to foods in 2018, but because of extensions granted to some manufacturers, certain items could be on store shelves until January 2021. So keep checking the ingredients on any packaged foods you’re considering.
Your efforts to help the planet don’t have to take a vacation just because you are traveling. Many West Michigan destinations, businesses, and organizations are making sure to do their part to promote eco-friendly and sustainable practices to conserve energy and minimize environmental impact.
Eco-friendly lodging
Crystal Mountain’s village in Thompsonville has been built iteratively, piece-by-piece, over time and the same approach has been applied to make meaningful strides toward a more sustainable future, such as:
Designing the resort as a pedestrian- and bike-friendly village, reducing use of carbon-emitting transportation
First resort in Michigan to invest in wind energy credits, offsetting the carbon footprint of the Crystal Clipper high-speed quad chairlift to help supply the grid with more clean, renewable energy sources—reducing CO2 emissions by 174,000 pounds annually
Building the first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) spa in the Midwest—one of only four in the nation in 2009—that uses 28% less energy than a baseline structure
First northern Michigan resort to provide complimentary electric vehicle charging stations
Including a closed-loop, geothermal heating and cooling system as part of a $12 million expansion to the Inn at the Mountain (2018), reducing CO2 emissions by 150,000 pounds per year
Setting aside a 30-acre wooded preserve leased to Michigan Legacy Art Park for $1 per year
LED lighting in accommodations and public spaces, including the resort’s 33,000 square-foot conference facility
In-room recycling, electric golf carts, re-fillable bath amenities, efficiency sensors for irrigation and snow-making and more
Courtesy West Michigan Tourist Association
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa’s Green Committee is dedicated to creating a sustainable vacation experience. Here are just a few of the ways Grand Traverse Resort, located in Williamsburg, works to improve their carbon footprint:
Partnership with TerraCycle, to recycle partially used and empty toiletry bottles. TerraCycle provides the Resort with a penny for each bottle, saved up to donate to local green nonprofits.
Partnership with Eminence Organics, which plants a tree for each product sold. To date, over 3,500 trees have been planted.
A composting program with Bay Area Recycling for Charities that directs roughly 100 tons of food waste from the Resort’s dining outlets away from landfills.
In 2016, the Resort replaced an aging boiler with a Micro CHP (Combined Heat and Power) unit with an engine that runs on natural gas to generate electricity with useful heat—clean hot water—as a by-product of cooling the engine. The Micro CHP is estimated to save up to $20,000 in electric energy each year, and received an EPA certificate of approval for commercial emission standards.
The Golf & Grounds team has won numerous awards for their eco-friendly approach; resort is certified as a Michigan Turf-grass Environmental Steward; is adding space to the no-mow natural zones on the 900-acre property.
The Resort is eliminating single-use plastic products from the property—a work in progress.
In Mecosta County, being eco-friendly is something that hospitality businesses are familiar with—most hotels have a detailed Green program as part of hotel policy.
The Holiday Inn and Conference Center in Big Rapids has an eco-friendly initiative known as the “Green Engage”, striving to provide a sustainable environment. This particular hotel achieves these policies through the maintenance of the building as well as housekeeping—ensuring that there is energy-efficient output on all room units, light bulbs, furnaces, etc. Housekeeping offers guests opportunities to re-use personal items like towels and toiletries.
Your headquarters for Upper Peninsula outdoor adventures in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale National Park, the Keweenaw Adventure Company hosts Lake Superior sea kayaking and world-renowned Copper Harbor mountain biking. Environmentally conscious and community players, the Keweenaw Adventure Company celebrated their 25th Anniversary this season, and are proud to be “ultimately contributing to the region’s well-being through education, stewardship, conservation and sustainable tourism.”
Courtesy West Michigan Tourist Association
For over 30 years, Inland Seas Education Associationin Suttons Bay has been teaching people about protecting the Great Lakes through their programs on tall ship schooners. Participants engage in hands-on activities as they collect lake samples and analyze them to determine the health of the Great Lakes. Some of the programs also collect microplastics. Individuals also get a chance to raise the sails and steer the ship. Click through to find more information about ISEA public programs.
A hidden gem tucked behind tall dune hills, Lost Lake at Muskegon State Park is a botanical treasure with plants found in both bog and coastal plain marsh habitats. A three-mile, unpaved trail leads around Lost Lake, easily accessed from the Snug Harbor parking lot. A wheelchair-accessible trail from the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex leads to an accessible overlook and viewing scope on the wetland’s north side.
John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids is committed to conserving resources and in doing so strives to make all of their operations as green as possible. The Zoo stays green by diverting 80% of waste from landfills through compost and recycling. They offer compostable straws and other plastics at the concession stands and have a variety of sustainable gift options in the gift shop. The Zoo is also committed to conserving endangered species around the world and right here in West Michigan. Every year John Ball Zoo sends zookeepers out into the field to help native species like the Kirtland’s warbler, Massasauga rattlesnakes, piping plovers, and wood turtles.
Sustainable eating and shopping
Going Green in Ludington is made easier with a number of restaurants using compostable containers, utensils, bags, and straws, or implementing a no-straw policy. Stores use biodegradable paper bags, eco-friendly cleaning practices, and some businesses have promotions in place with donations going to local eco-minded organizations.
Visitors looking to minimize their impact on the planet can feel good about visiting the BarFly Ventures restaurant family, which includes HopCat locations in Grand Rapids,Kalamazoo,East Lansing, and Holland, as well as Stella’s Lounge in Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Brewing Co. The businesses recycle all metal, plastic, cardboard, and glass and locally compost all food scraps, napkins, straws, and any other organic materials, diverting up to 90 percent of their waste from landfills and incinerators and helping to create soil instead of trash. BarFly has helped raise more than $50,000 for local clean-water nonprofits.
Courtesy West Michigan Tourist Association
Visit the HollandFarmers Marketon Wednesdays and Saturdays 8am-2pm and support local agriculture. By purchasing locally grown produce, shoppers and vendors cut back on packaging and emissions that would otherwise be used to transport goods to grocery stores from across the country.
Crane’s Pie Pantry in Fennville has gone strawless. Paper straws are only available on request. If you refuse a bag in the bakery or bring your own reusable bag, you leave with a free donut.
It’s time to get the kids together and pull out your family’s favorite costumes because Trick or Treat Trail is right around the corner!
After a widely received social media contest, fans of Wyoming Parks and Recreation’s Facebook page unanimously voted to rename Pumpkin Path to Trick or Treat Trail. The event has been titled Pumpkin Path for the last 14 years.
The City of Wyoming and its Parks and Recreation team is excited to once again host this signature community event under a new name but with many of the traditional elements the community has come to know and love. Trick or Treat Trail is a free event for kids and families on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW. The event will be held from 4-6 p.m. Local businesses, clubs and organizations will host spaces along the path and will hand out candy, coupons and other goodies.
“The newly branded Trick or Treat Trail was created to be a fun, safe, family-friendly event for the fall, providing an alternative to traditional Halloween events,” said Rebecca Rynbrandt, director of community services for the City of Wyoming. “Trick or Treat Trail gives families the perfect opportunity to interact with neighborhood businesses while enjoying the outdoors, Lamar Park and the beauty of the fall season.”
In addition to receiving treats, children should also look forward to a DJ and dancing, face painting, jumping in various bounce houses and games. Participants are welcome to come in costume or in regular clothes.
In previous years, the event has welcomed over 65 local businesses and organizations, and more than 6,000 children, parents, grandparents and friends.
A scene from rehearsals of Ballet 5:8’s “Butterfly”. (Supplied/Ballet 5:8)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
Ballet 5:8, the Chicago-based dance company known for providing audiences with “a unique opportunity to engage in conversation on relevant life and faith topics addressed in the company’s repertoire”, will return to Grand Rapids Oct. 5 with a program both emotionally heavy and delightfully spiritual.
The three works including the world premieres of “Butterfly”, which evokes the emotional scenes of the World War 2 Terezin ghetto, but also “Brothers and Sisters”, which explores the “Creator’s handiwork — the simple beauty of male and female.”
The show, held at the Devos Center for Arts and Worship on Saturday, Oct. 5, starting at 7 p.m., will include both artistic director Julianna Rubio Slager’s newest works as well an older work, Slager’s “Meditations”, inspired by C.S. Lewis’ essay “Meditation in a Toolshed”.
(Last season Ballet 5:8 also held a world premiere last year in Grand Rapids; read the review here).
“Butterfly”, according to supplied material, explores the Holocaust tragedy of Terezin, “where residents created masterful works of art in defiance of their oppressors … where, from the ashes of this hellscape, glimmers of hope emerge.”
Terezin, according to the website terezin.org, was a concentration camp 30 miles north of Prague in the Czech Republic during the World War II. It was originally a holiday resort reserved for Czech nobility.
“By 1940 Nazi Germany had assigned the Gestapo to turn Terezín into a Jewish ghetto and concentration camp,” the website’s history page states. “It held primarily Jews from Czechoslovakia, as well as tens of thousands of Jews deported chiefly from Germany and Austria, as well as hundreds from the Netherlands and Denmark. More than 150,000 Jews were sent there, including 15,000 children, and held there for months or years, before being sent by rail transports to their deaths at Treblinka and Auschwitz extermination camps in occupied Poland, as well as to smaller camps elsewhere. Less than 150 children survived.”
The Ballet 5:8 work tells the story of a Jewish art teacher refused to let the children die without hope. “She challenged her students to create art that spoke of their misery but also of the hope that lies within,” according to supplied material. “Every human, male or female, desirable or marginalized, born of privilege or born of poverty, each one is precious and created with purpose.”
“The remnants of art from the nearly forgotten children of Terezin challenge us to look with clear eyes upon our potential for both evil and beauty,” Slager said in supplied material.
A scene from a previous performance of Ballet 5:8’s “Meditations”. (Supplied/Ballet 5:8)
“Brothers & Sisters” is described in supplied material this way: “We are living in an age of culture war over gender identity and ethics. In ‘Brothers & Sisters’, choreographer Julianna Rubio Slager takes a moment to step aside from the chaos and strife to revel in the Creator’s handiwork — the simple beauty of male and female. Contrast and subtlety. Difference and similarity. Overlap and distinction. The Creator must have moved with delight as he drew his children with contrasting and complementary strokes.”
The Devos Center for Arts and Worship, at Grand Rapids Christian High School, is located at 2300 Plymouth Ave SE, Grand Rapids. The performance includes a post-performance Q&A with Slager and artists from the cast. Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for students and seniors, and $15 for children ages 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased at ballet58.org or by calling 312-725-4752. Performance information is available at ballet58.org/Grand-Rapids.
Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma talks to St. Cecilia Music Center Executive Director Cathy Holbrook. (WKTV)
For more than a hundred years, St. Cecilia Music Center had been known for its promotion of the appreciation, performance and study of music. When Cathy Holbrook returned to Grand Rapids 13 years ago to take over the helm of one of the oldest music institutions in the nation, she had no intention of changing that mission, just expanding on it.
Thirteen years later, the fruits of her labor can be seen and heard as the building at 24 Ranson Ave. NE has been renovated and through partnerships with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Acoustic Café radio show, St. Cecilia’s music offerings have grown as well.
In this edition of “Locally Entertaining,” Holbrook talks about her journey as St. Cecilia’s executive director and how chicken wings, martinis and thinking outside of the box allowed her to bring in some of the biggest names in the musical world, from David Finckel (who with his wife Wu Han serve as artistic directors for St. Cecilia’s classical series) to legendary singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash, while keeping ticket prices, $40 – $55, so reasonable.
Host Joanne Bailey-Boorsma sits down with St Cecilia Center Executive Director Cathy Holbrook. The two discuss the center’s rich history and preview upcoming shows schedule for the fall and winter months.
The St. Cecilia Music Center season kicks off with country and folk singer Lee Ann Womack on Oct. 3. Also in October is Judy Collins on Oct. 20. For a complete list of performers for each of the series, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Spectacular Jazz Series, and the Acoustic Café Folk Series, visit scmc-online.org.
The new Robin Connell Trio (shown is promotional graphic) will debut on the local scene in October. (Supplied)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Local jazz pianist and singer Robin Connell’s new trio, with Rob Hartman on bass and Keith Hall on drums, will debut at Grand Rapids One Trick Pony on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 8-11 p.m.
Connell, the Artprize 2016 jazz music award recipient and the West Michigan Jazz Society’s 2017 Musician of the Year, is no stranger to the local jazz and music education scenes.
Originally from Detroit, Connell spent more than a decade in New York City, at places such as The Waldorf-Astoria and The Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center, and performs regularly as bandleader or sidewoman throughout Michigan and the region, according to supplied material. She is also a music educator, having taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp for 20 years (did-you-know fact: Norah Jones studied with Robin for two summers) and she currently hosts a jazz piano concert series, Jazz in the Sanctuary at Fountain Street Church, and co-directs the St Cecilia Music Center’s Youth Jazz Ensembles.
Hall, when he is not playing professionally, is the director of the Keith Hall Summer Drum Intensive and is the Jazz Drum Set Professor at Western Michigan University, according to supplied material. He is the author of Jazz Drums Now! Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, and is the radio host for Jazz Currents on WMUK. As a musician, he has toured with singer Curtis Stigers (for 12 Years) and leading his New York trio TRI-FI (for 15 years). He also spent 8 years in New York City where he played drums on Broadway’s “Lion King” and has performed with Betty Carter, Wycliffe Gordon, Sir Roland Hanna, Joe Lovano and Wynton Marsalis.
Hartman performs regularly all around west Michigan with a variety of jazz trios and bands.
One Trick Pony is located at 136 Fulton St E. There is no cover charge on jazz nights. For more information visit onetrick.biz or call 616-235-7669.
Detroit’s own Aretha Franklin truly was the “Queen of Soul,” recording more than 100 charted singles including 17 Top 10 Pop singles and 20 No. 1 R&B singles. The first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Franklin was ranked number one Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2010.
Tina Turner, dubbed the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” is a 12-time Grammy Award winner, ranked 17th on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Her 50th Anniversary Tour in 2008 became one of the highest-selling ticketed shows of all time.
Franklin died last year at age 76, and Turner celebrates her 80th birthday in November. But their music lives on. Together with their contemporaries, Patti LaBelle, Thelma Houston, and the late Etta James, they ruled the pop and R&B charts in the late 1960s and 1970s, paving the way for singers such as Whitney Houston, Adele, Alicia Keys and Amy Winehouse.
The Grand Rapids Pops pays tribute to the voices that revolutionized rock and revitalized R&B with Queens of Soul on September 27-29 in DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave. NW, to open the 2019-20 Fox Motors Pops series. Guest Artist Sponsor is Carter Products.
Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt (Grand Rapids Symphony)
Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt will be on the podium for concerts at 7.30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday. Please note that 7:30 p.m. is a new start time for concerts on Fridays and Saturdays in the Fox Motors Pops series.
Special guest vocalists Shayna Steele, Kelly Levesque and Brie Cassil join the Grand Rapids Symphony for songs such as Respect, as recorded by Aretha Franklin; Proud Mary, as recorded by Tina Turner; and New Attitude as recorded by Patti LaBelle.
The concert also includes such songs as Rolling in the Deep, as recorded by Adele; Girl on Fire, as recorded by Alicia Keys; and You Know I’m No Good as recorded by Amy Winehouse.
In all, 18 songs covering six decades of pop and R&B come to the Grand Rapids Pops stage in the show co-produced by Schirmer Theatrical and Greenberg Artists with musical arrangements by Grammy Award-winning arranger, composer, conductor and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik.
Guest vocalist Shayna Steel, who made her Grand Rapids Symphony debut at the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops with Women Rock! in 2017 and who returned to Cannonsburg Ski Area this past summer with Dancing in the Streets: Music of Motown, has appeared on Broadway in the original cast of Hairspray as well as revivals of Rent and Jesus Christ Superstar.
In December 2016, Steele reprised her role with the Dynamites in NBC TV’s broadcast of Hairspray Live. She has been a featured singer with Snarky Puppy in 2014 at the Nice Jazz Festival and has worked as a sideman with Bette Midler, Natasha Bedingfield, John Legend, Matthew Morrison, Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Rihanna and Kelly Clarkson.
Vocalist Kelly Levesque has shared the stage with such artists as Sting, Jamie Foxx, Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, Josh Groban, Michael Bolton, Smokey Robinson, John Legend, Patti LaBelle, and many more. She has been featured on several film and television soundtracks, including America’s Sweethearts starring Julia Roberts, and the title song on the new Inspector Gadget series. She also has been a featured vocalist on numerous national TV and radio commercials.
Vocalist Brie Cassil has appeared in New York Off Broadway as Suzy in The Marvelous Wonderettes and as Blast in the new rock musical Chix 6. She has performed as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, as Little Sally in Urinetown and as Mimi in Rent. She is lead singer with her band Rebel, and she has opened for Adler, the original drummer for Guns & Roses.
Tickets
Tickets for Queens Of Soul start at $18 adults, $5 students, and are available at the Grand Rapids Symphony box office, weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across the street from Calder Plaza). Call (616) 454-9451 x 4 to order by phone. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum).
Tickets are available at the DeVos Place ticket office, weekdays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. or on the day of the concert beginning two hours before the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.
Woodland Mall sketch new entrance Von Maur wing 2019 (Supplied/Woodland Mall)
By Woodland Mall
This fall, shoppers will enjoy the long-anticipated grand opening of first-to-portfolio department store Von Maur and the expansion of what will be known as the Von Maur wing at Woodland Mall, along with The Cheesecake Factory as a new dining anchor.
“Over the past two years, we have invested $100 million in order to continue to create a premium shopping experience in the changing retail environment,” said Cecily McCabe, Woodland Mall marketing director. “Many of our major redevelopment efforts will soon culminate with the opening of the Von Maur wing and The Cheesecake Factory, along with a number of other destination retailers and an experiential dining offering.
“If you have not visited us recently, now is a great time to come and rediscover Woodland Mall.”
Saturday, Oct. 12, will be an important date to save as several retailers plan to host grand opening events, including Von Maur, Urban Outfitters, Williams-Sonoma, Tricho Salon and Paddle North. The Cheesecake Factory is set to open Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Destination retailer Von Maur will occupy 90,000 square feet in the former Sears space. The location will be the high-end department store’s first in the region, joining a series of other new-to-portfolio and new-to-market retailers at the mall.
Based in Davenport, Iowa, Von Maur is expanding its footprint across the U.S. with larger stores and new brands. The strength of the Von Maur brand lies in its wide selection of brand-name merchandise, open and attractive store design and amenities that enhance the customer experience, including free gift-wrapping year-round and easy returns.
Woodland Mall’s Von Maur will feature a live pianist, and exclusive brands such as: Kiehls, Sunday Riley, Cath Kidston, Mint Velvet, Joules, Kendra Scott, Miss Selfridge, John Hardy, Rebecca Minkoff, Nora Flemming, Kuhl, T2 and Coast.
Known around the globe for its extensive menu, generous portions and legendary desserts, The Cheesecake Factory will occupy 8,500 square feet in Woodland Mall next to Barnes & Noble. The Kentwood location will be the restaurant’s second in Michigan and the only location within 50 miles.
The Cheesecake Factory features more than 250 menu selections including SkinnyLicious® dishes with 590 calories or less and Saturday and Sunday Brunch – all handmade, in-house with fresh ingredients – and more than 50 signature cheesecakes and desserts.
Lifestyle retailer Urban Outfitters will open an 8,000-square-foot store in the Von Maur wing. Urban Outfitters currently operates more than 200 stores in the United States, Canada and Europe, offering experiential retail environments and a well-curated mix of women’s, men’s, accessories and home product assortments.
Woodland Mall will also welcome Paddle North to the expanded wing this fall. The Minnesota-based company offers stand-up paddle boards and accessories, as well as an array of apparel.
The award-winning steakhouse and another first-to-market restaurant Black Rock Bar & Grill will open in mid-October in the expanded Von Maur wing. As part of its immersive dining experience, guests sear their selection of meat or seafood on hot volcanic granite at their tables. This will be the Michigan-based chain’s first location in West Michigan and its ninth in the state.
Complementing these diverse retailers and restaurants will be Tricho Salon, a best-in-class salon offering a personalized experience with talented stylists and the top hair styles, designs and products, as well as makeup and waxing services. An innovator in the salon business since 2003, Tricho Salons operates 12 locations in the most sought-after markets across the United States.
This summer, Woodland Mall welcomed West Michigan’s first REI store. Within its 20,000 square feet, shoppers can explore in-demand outdoor gear, clothing and footwear. Bath & Body Works’ White Barn Shop and A’Beautiful Soul, the companion to Altar’d State offering a plus-size clothing line, also recently opened.
In addition to welcoming new retail offerings, the mall has had several retailers relocate and/or expand within the mall over the past year, including Apple, Chico’s, Hollister, J.Jill, LUSH, Shoe Dept., Sleeping Tiger, Torrid, Vans and Victoria’s Secret.
Woodland Mall also features an exclusive line-up of other retailers, such as Pottery Barn, The North Face, Dry Goods and H&M, along with several other dining establishments and Celebration! Cinema.
Shoppers can anticipate more new and seasonal store announcements throughout the year as part of its $100 million redevelopment.
The electronic babysitter is alive and thriving in the new digital age.
A new study says it all: Children under the age of 2 spend twice the amount of time in front of a screen each day—almost three hours, to be exact—as they did 20 years ago.
Kids are being exposed to far more screen time than recommended by pediatric experts, the researchers added.
That screen was most often a TV set, with the television viewing of toddlers rising fivefold between 1997 and 2014, the study findings showed.
Children aged 3 to 5 actually spent less time on screens than younger kids, around two-and-a-half hours per day, with no significant change between 1997 and 2014, according to the report.
The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages all media use for kids younger than 2 and recommends limiting screen time for children aged 2 to 5 to just one hour a day of high-quality programming.
The researchers found it “surprising” that television still served as the screen of choice for young children, even four years after the debut of the iPad in 2010, said lead researcher Weiwei Chen, an assistant professor with the Florida International University College of Public Health and Social Work, in Miami.
Kids aged 2 and younger spent an average of 2.6 hours a day watching TV in 2014 and children 2 to 5 watched an average of 2.1 hours a day. On average, both groups spent a half-hour daily on mobile devices, Chen said.
“It’s possible they are using it in good ways, like for educational purposes,” Chen said. “But also remember that looking at this young age, it’s before they are attending school, so I would think these are not children that are using that for homework.”
For their study, the researchers used data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the world’s longest-running household survey. The study has been tracking U.S. family trends since 1968.
The findings were published online recently in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
TV might have become an easier option by 2014 because streaming services and on-demand programming had largely replaced video tapes and DVDs, said Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center.
“By 2014, there were many more choices in children’s television programming following in Sesame Street’s example and with lots of cable channels to fill,” Rutledge said.
“Some shows intentionally build in interactivity that reinforces learning, such as ‘Dora the Explorer’ and ‘Blue’s Clues.’ However, not all programming is suitable for children and not all children’s programming is truly educational,” she added.
It’s likely parents still are using the time-honored strategy of using TV as a babysitter, said Sarah Domoff, director of the Family Health Lab at Central Michigan University.
“Research my collaborators and I have conducted indicates that TV may be used to help manage children’s behaviors and allow parents to accomplish tasks at the home,” Domoff said. “Some households frequently leave TV on in the background throughout the day, which may also increase a child’s screen time.”
Domoff recommends limiting screen time for young children to educational content alone, with active parental involvement at all times.
“We know that having a TV in a child’s bedroom increases a child’s risk for sleep issues and obesity,” Domoff said. “Additionally, research has also indicated children hear fewer words from caregivers and have fewer conversations when TV or other electronic media is on, compared to when it is not on. Therefore, excessive screen time may interfere with important activities or routines essential for a child’s development.”
Chen also pointed out that it’s very likely that tablets and mobile devices have become more used among kids 5 and younger since 2014.
“In 2014, it was still a relatively early stage for those products. It’s understandable at that time, they weren’t as common as today,” Chen said. “Now you see we have many more tablets and devices and all kinds of things.”
