Whether fairy or wizard, prince or princess, everyone is invited to come in costume to Princess Day on Thursday, June 17 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at John Ball Zoo.
While dressed as your favorite character, guests can meet special royalty rotating throughout the day – Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Tiana, Snow White, Elsa, Anna, Merida, Elena, Rapunzel, Moana, Mulan, Raya, and Tinker Bell.
Princess Day meet and greet is included in regular admission. Zoo members can meet the princesses for a special members-only meet and greet from 8 – 9 a.m.
Along with meeting princesses, guests can also visit the Zoo’s animals including their new Toco toucan named Mango and the red panda family of five including the three cubs.
Guests can make their Zoo visit more regal through special Princess Day only opportunities. With themed tiaras, wands, swords, crowns, necklaces, and flower headbands, guests can complete their princess day look with a visit to the Zoo’s Gift Shop. Guest can also top the day with a themed arm painting.
Zoo admission is $15 for adults, $12 for children (ages 3-12) and seniors, with children 2 and under are free. It is recommend to purchase tickets online prior to arrival to make entry quicker and easier. John Ball Zoo is located on Fulton Ave., one mile west of downtown Grand Rapids. For more information www.jbzoo.org or 616-336-4301.
It has been almost two years since Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s summer concert series promoter Chris Mautz last arranged an act on tour to stop in Grand Rapids — if you guessed Calexico and Iron Wine, in September 2019, you were probably there.
But with the national touring band concert season awakening as the COVID-19 pandemic ebbs a little more with every vaccination shot, and concert venue attendance limits are expanded or removed, Meijer Gardens this morning announced the complete lineup for 2021’s late-arriving season.
And despite its late start and abbreviated lineup, the Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens’ 28-show lineup, arranged as always by Mautz and his company, delivers a little something for everyone, from the opening night of Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the Grand Rapids Symphony on July 18, to the closing night of Lettuce and Galactic featuring Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph on Sept. 19.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will play with the Grand Rapids Symphony on July 18 (Supplied/Patrick Melon)
In between are 26 other shows including returning favorites The Beach Boys on Aug. 20, Pink Martini (featuring China Forbes) with the Grand Rapids Symphony on July 29, and O.A.R. on Sept. 9.
The highlights of the season — from this deprived concertgoer — may well be a great two-night blast from the ‘90s past will be The Verve Pipe on July 24 and Collective Soul on July 25, the pairing of the great Emmylou Harris and Los Lobos on Aug. 8, and the return of the “bring-the-house-down” sounds of St. Paul & The Broken Bones on Aug. 27.
Nobody, though, is more glad to see the business of live concerts returning than Mautz — after all, it is his business.
“This 14-, 15-month pause is certainly not something any of us expected to happen, right? But it sure does feel good to be coming back,” Mautz said to WKTV. “There has been a desire from both sides (music venues and touring acts) to be engaged again.”
And things have been moving, cautiously, in the right direction for opening up the national touring scene for a few months.
“For so many of us, it has been the last three-ish months that we have been on a good positive trend — for the most part — case rates going down, vaccine rates going up, hospitalization rates going gown. … That consistency of heading in the right direction has given a little opportunity, for me personally, to get that engine cranking a little bit.”
Capacity restrictions no longer in place
According to the Meijer Gardens announcement, “Consistent with current COVID-19 guidance, as of July 1 there will be no capacity restrictions and 1,900 general admission tickets will be available for each concert.”
Emily Lou Harris. (Supplied/Kat Villacorta)
And that means there is likely to be full houses for many, if not all, of the aforementioned concerts and well as the rest of the lineup.
Among the other Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens are:
The Grand Rapids Symphony conducted by Bob Bernhardt, Principal Pops Conductor on July 22; Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange), Aug. 5; Kansas, Aug. 6; Harry Connick, Jr. and His Band – Time to Play!, Aug. 9; America, Aug. 11; Umphrey’s McGee, Aug. 12; Mat Kearney, Aug. 13; Shakey Graves, Aug. 16; Blues Traveler + JJ Grey & Mofro, Aug. 18; 38 Special, Aug. 19; Squeeze, Aug. 22; Ani DiFranco, Aug. 23; Colin Hay of Men at Work, Aug. 26; Old Crow Medicine Show, Aug. 29; Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Sept. 1; Indigo Girls, Sept. 2; Black Violin + Blind Boys of Alabama, Sept. 12; Toad the Wet Sprocket, Sept. 15; and Pat Benetar & Neil Giraldo, Sept. 16.
Some bands back on the road, but not all
While the Meijer Gardens lineup is well represented with different musical genres and acts, and other local venues are beginning to schedule as well, there will be a time lag for the touring bus to get back to full throttle, Mautz believes.
The Verve Pipe (Supplied)
“A lot of people think there will be a flood of activity from the touring world, and the public will want to get back out there,” he said. “But I think, like many things with this pandemic, it will be different shades of grey. …
“Certainly a lot of bands are itching to get out there, but some are working and have been working throughout the pandemic, while others have been a little more patient and will stay that way. I would not be surprised to see that have a reflection on the business in general.”
Details of getting the tickets
Tickets for the concerts, via Meijer Gardens’s new new ticketing partner, Etix, will be available online at Etix.com (preferred method) with handling fee of $10 per order, or by phone at 1-800-514-etix (3849), also with a handling fee of $10 per order. There will be no on-site ticket sales at Meijer Gardens.
Gate and show start times vary. Check MeijerGardens.org/concerts for details. All information is subject to change. All shows will take place rain or shine, weather delays are possible. There are no ticket returns or refunds.
Kansas (Supplied/Emily Butler Photography)
Meijer Gardens has created an Insider’s Guide to Buying Tickets to help with ticket purchasing. The Insider’s Guide is available at MeijerGardens.org/concerts.
Members can buy tickets during the members-only presale beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday, June 26, through midnight, July 9. Members save $5 per ticket during the presale. After July 10, members save $2 per ticket. There is a limit of 8 tickets per show, per transaction. To join or renew a membership before June 26, visit MeijerGardens.org/membership or call the membership department at 616-977-7689.
Sales to the public begin at 9 a.m., July 10. There is a limit of 8 tickets per show, per transaction. Again, there will be no on-site ticket sales at Meijer Gardens. Ticket can be purchased online at eTix.com with a handling fee of $5 per order (not per ticket) and convenience fee of $5.25 per ticket applies to all sales, or by phone at 1-800-514-etix (3849), also with a handling fee of $5 per order and convenience fee of $5.25 per ticket applies to all sales.
One of the Kent District Library’s beloved buddies, Curi, has decided to tour the local parks this summer. If you want to catch up to where he is, then you need to find him. KDL will provide clues to those participating in the Summer Wonder program a partnership between KDL and Kent County Parks Department. For more information about the Summer Wonder program, visit kdl.org.
Pollinators and POPnology
If the temperatures get too hot, then cool off at the Grand Rapids Public Museum which is featuring two new exhibits this summer, “POPnology” and “Amazing Pollinators.” “POPnology” combines pop culture and technology, showcasing how science fiction has become science fact. “Amazing Pollinators” is a maze that visitors follow taking 48 survival missions from eight different pollinator groups, including bats, bees, beetles, birds, butterflies, moths, flies, and wasps. For more on the exhibits, visit grpm.org.
Big and Small
OR wander through the John Ball Zoo to visit the animals and check out the zoo’s latest BRICKLIVE exhibit, “Supersized!” featuring some of the word’s smallest creatures in large-than-life proportions. Or put it on the calendar to check out the next Adult Night Out series on Thursday which features brews from Wyoming’s own Two Guys Brewing. For more on the zoo, visit, jbzoo.org.
Fun Fact: Hey, Little Sister
We know that sometimes it can take a while to have family join you in the United States after immigrating here. For the Statute of Liberty, it took 136 years for her sister to finally make the trip. Wishing to emphasize the importance of the bonds between the United States and France, a group of French craft people created the nine-foot replica of the 181-foot one on Ellis Island. The statue is set to board a ship on June 19 to come to the United States. It will be on display for a short-time next to her ‘big sister’ in New York before heading to Washington D.C., where it will be on display for the next 10 years at the French embassy.
The Apple & BBQ Festival will make a comeback as the largest festival to return to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes area after a forced cancelation in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Located at the Golden Township Park at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes on Silver Lake Road, this exciting two-day festival will take place outdoors on Sept. 10 and 11 with a culmination of live entertainment, events, and delicious food!
The festival will do the right thing about health and safety protocols to make sure people feel comfortable. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the festival. Guests, volunteers, and vendors are encouraged to wash and sanitize their hands frequently. Mask will not be required but are welcomed.
Families and festival goers can expect an expanded Arts & Crafts Fair and an increased number of Food Vendors. Other popular features returning are the Classic Auto & Buggy Show, Kids’ Activities, Apple Pie Contest, Apple A Day 5K, Live Entertainment, Amateur BBQ Contest, Beer Tent, and more. The KCBS Professional & Amateur BBQ Cooking Contests are still being worked on, information regarding these events to follow soon.
Proceeds from the festival benefit organizations and programs that serve the Silver Lake Sand Dunes area. The festival gives back to various community events such as Silver Lake Fireworks, beautification projects including the flags and flowers at the Silver Lake roundabout, and funding projects that further the growth of the Golden Township Park at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes.
“We hope everybody comes and has a great time”, says Scott Beal, Executive Director of the Silver Lake Sand Dunes- Hart Visitors Bureau. “We are excited for the events return and the positive economic impact it has for the area”. If you would like to attend, volunteer, sponsor, or be a vendor at the event, please call 231-873-2247 or visit www.applebbqfestival.com.
They have been a longtime member and this month, Wyoming’s Two Guys Brewing will be giving back to the John Ball Zoo by providing the zoo a specialty brew for its Adult Night Out event series.
“To be a part of this is just an honor,” said Two Guys Brewing owner Tom Payne.
Payne said the zoo was one of his family’s main sources of entertainment, especially during their times as a young struggling family.
“We would give the family the gift of a zoo membership,” Payne said. “We would do the Frederik Meijer Gardens, the Public Museum and the zoo. So it was three big bills at Christmas time but we would have entertainment throughout the entire year.”
Payne said they were approached by the zoo about the opportunity for the specialty brews because zoo officials had been impressed in how the brewing company handled the pandemic, working with residents by offering pack-and-go meals and other options.
The Adult Night Out series is designed to give guests age 21 and older the opportunity to experience the zoo at night without any kids. There will be select animal encounters for guests to enjoy, along with beer and wine selections.
Payne said the brewery decided to pair some of its well known beers with the themes of each program. For example, for this Thursday’s program, the John Ball Zoo will be featuring barbecue on its menu, something that Two Guys Brewing offers and that brewery’s IPA Mosaicquest pairs well with.
John Ball Zoo will be hosting six Adult Night Out evenings throughout the summer with Two Guys Brewing pairing a beer with each night’s theme. Besides this Thursday, there will be Adult Night Out events on June 24, July 15 and 29, and August 12 and 26. Each Adult Night Out is from 6 to 9 p.m. The zoo offers four times to enter, 6 p.m., 6:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 6:45 p.m.
Tickets for all dates are available online for $18 for members or $20 for non-members at jbzoo.org/AdultNightOut. Limited tickets are available for each evening, and capacity is limited, so the zoo officials highly recommends reserving tickets before the event. Walk-up tickets are not guaranteed.
John Ball Zoo is located 1300 Fulton St., about a mile west of downtown Grand Rapids. For more information about John Ball Zoo or upcoming activities, visit www.jbzoo.org, call 616-336-4301 or email info@jbzoo.org.
Adults 21 and older have the opportunity to enjoy the John Ball Zoo without children present during the Adult Night Out series. (Supplied)
Tibbits Summer Theatre will open its 58th consecutive season of professional performances on June 16 with a fun and elegant musical theatre revue, The Best of Broadway, at The Ponds of Coldwater.
Last summer while the historic opera house remained shut down due to the pandemic, Tibbits became one of the few theatres in the country to produce a summer theatre season. This year, amid continued uncertainty, presenting outdoors at The Ponds became a certainty from which the theatre could guarantee the best possible season.
In this opening show, professional actors will showcase the greatest hits from Broadway—melodies that are guaranteed to have audiences humming and tapping their toes to the most memorable moments in musicals throughout the ages! With a variety of solos, duets, and ensemble pieces, the performance will showcase selections from classic favorites like Showboat, Hair, and Phantom of the Opera, along with new pieces from Hamilton, Waitress, and Dear Evan Hansen.
This original show is conceived by Tibbits Artistic Director Peter Riopelle and written and compiled by director Charles Burr and musical director Matthew Everingham. Burr and Everingham also collaborated last year to create Sing Happy, A Popped Potpourri, and When Radio Was King.
While Burr has a long list of revues and collaboration on his resume, the process for The Best of Broadway was his first long distance creation. Burr explained, “It began in March with weekly phone meetings to Matthew in New York to create a balanced show that flows seamlessly in (mostly) chronological order. The difference in our ages [40 years] helps create a more comprehensive show. The songs we’ve chosen are great for the performers we have as well as for honoring the best of Broadway.”
Tibbits Summer Theatre will feature a core group of professional company members from across the United States. The Best of Broadway will include veteran Tibbits actors Stephanie Burdick, Liz Davis, Max Gonzalez, Brooke Jackson, and Michael Motkowski along with newcomer Nile Birch. The production will be directed by Charles Burr with music direction and music arrangement by Matthew Everingham. It will feature lighting design by Catie Bencowe, set design by Stephanie Burdick and Peter Riopelle, costume design by Dusti Donbrock, and sound design by Henry Sendek. Lexa Walker leads the technicians as technical director with Rachel Marengere as stage manager, and Josh Rockwell, Scott Pauley, and Leon Kriser rounding out the technical staff.
The Best of Broadway, along with the rest of the 2021 TST Season, is presented through the generous sponsorship support of Coldwater Board of Public Utilities, Vandervoort, Christ & Fisher, P.C.; Parrish Excavating, Inc.; and Frederick Family Dental. Additional sponsors include Coldwater Orthodontics & Aligner Center; Dr. Jon & Seibra Herbener; The Bushouse Family; ASAMA Coldwater Manufacturing; Coldwater Exchange Club; Matthew C. Christopher, DDS; Great Lakes Chiropractic; Honor Credit Union; and Vested Risk Strategies. Additional funding is provided by the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tickets for The Best of Broadway are $28 (including fees) for all seats, with discounts available to Tibbits members. Performances will run June 16, 18, 22, 24 and 25 at 7:30pm and June 17 and 23 at 2pm. Tickets are available online at Tibbits.org, at the Tibbits admin office at 93 W. Chicago St. in Coldwater 9 am to 5 pm weekdays or by calling 517-278-6029.
All summer theatre performances will be held at the beautiful outdoor event pavilion nestled among 30 acres of lush landscaping at The Ponds of Coldwater, just minutes from the historic Tibbits Opera House in downtown Coldwater. Golf carts are provided to transport guests who need assistance from the parking lot to the pavilion. Please note that Tibbits will follow COVID guidelines at the time performances take place. This may still include universal masking while entering and moving throughout the venue as well as social distancing. For more information call or visit Tibbits.org.
The Mecosta County Visitors Bureau and the River Valley Car Club proudly present Car Fest 2021 Downtown Big Rapids. The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 26, from 1 until 5 p.m.
“It is great being able to start bringing back outside events to the community,” stated Connie Koepke – Executive Director of the Mecosta County Visitors Bureau. “This is also a perfect tie-in with the Big Rapids Air Fest at Roben-Hood Airport taking place earlier in the day from 9:00am-1:00pm. Guests will be able to spend the entire day Exploring the Big Rapids Region not only enjoying both events but local shops, restaurants and maybe even spend the night at a local hotel.”
Sponsors for this year’s event include the Mecosta County Visitors Bureau and media sponsor Big Country 100.9 Radio. The event is facilitated by the River Valley Car Club of Big Rapids.
“On behalf of the River Valley Car Club, we are all excited at being able to bring our prized vehicles back out for not only our own enjoyment but to share them with the public as well,” noted Duey Parsons of the River Valley Car Club. “It’s always thrilling to see these spectacular cars up close as well as engaging in the comradely that goes along with them.”
Other activities happening at the Car Fest 2021 Car Show include a 50/50 raffle, (30) trophy presentations at 4:30pm, live musical performance by Chris Jane from 2:00pm-4pm, food and fun for all! Kids and grownups alike are invited to stop downtown to enjoy the event and all that beautiful downtown Big Rapids has to offer.
If you have a prized vehicle that you would like to enter for a chance at one of the coveted trophies up for grabs, or just enjoy socializing with other car lovers, you can register on the day of the event from noon – 2:00pm in front of TFC Bank. Cost is just $15 per vehicle to enter.
For more details on the first annual Car Fest, you can visit BigRapids.org/CarFest or reach out to Duey Parsons directly at 231-499-8196 with any questions or for more details.
Grand Rapids Civic Associate Director Allyson Paris and Executive Director Bruce Tinker announced the 2021-2022 season for the company. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre Associate Director Allyson Paris admitted she had quite a different feeling this morning than she did about year ago.
“It was definitely much more joyful,” Paris said. Joyful because today, June 1, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre announced its 2021-2022 season which includes “The Wiz,” the production that had to be canceled last spring due to the pandemic.
“We had just cast it and had to make that decision that we would not be moving forward with the show,” Paris said of the announcement that was made to the cast and volunteers in the spring of 2020. But with regulations changing daily as more people get vaccinated, the show will go on with most of the original casted actors and crew planning to return in the spring of 2022 for the production.
“There are going to be some changes as some of the original cast members will be away or at college,” Paris said, “but most of the original cast will be returning.
“The Wiz” will wrap Civic’s 2021-2022 season. (Supplied)
“That has been true for most of the our performers who were rehearsing and preparing and then everything just shutdown. It has been a waiting period to see if that show would return and if it fits into their schedule.”
Grand Rapids Civic there certainly has a schedule for its 96th season which includesthree shows from its scheduled 2020-2021 line up, “The Sound of Music,” “Shakespeare in Love, and “Dragons Love Tacos” along with “The Wiz,” which was originally part of the company’s 2019-2020 season.
The season will start off with the musical “Once” and is based on the 2007 film of the same name. It is a love story of “Guy” and “Girl” and centers around the Academy Award-winning song “Falling Slowly.” Civic will then feature the musical concert Black Bold and Beautiful: Onward Together, which Paris described as a celebration of African-American music. Wrapping up 2021, will be the award-winning musical “The Sound of Music,” a musical celebration of the lives of the Von Trapp family with such familiar hits as “Do-Re-Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” and “Maria.”
Shakespeare finds his muse in the fun “Shakespeare in Love,” which kicks off 2022, followed by the children’s production “Dragons Love Tacos,” which is based off the popular Adam Rubin book. Because of the popularity of its “Ten for All” playwright competition this past February, Civic will again be hosting the competition in 2022.
“Sound of Music” will be Civic’s holiday offering. (Supplied)
Executive Director Bruce Tinker said there are still some variables in regards to health guidelines such as seating capacity and masks requirement for performers. But that aside, Tinker said it was an “honor” to announce the new season.
“After over a year of uncertainty surrounding our calendar, we truly feel this announcement and new season is a gift to ur community,” Tinker said. “We can’t thank them enough for their continued support and encouragement over the past year.”
As for the community excitement, Civic received 690 page views during its June 1 Facebook announcement and Paris said within a few minutes of the announcement, she had received three to four emails asking when auditions would be and who would be directing.
“It is joyful because It is much more of a return to normal,” Paris said of the announcement. “It is a celebration as we are are reminded that what we get to do is so special.”
Season tickets for both new and renewal will be on sale start Aug. 3 and individual tickets will go on sale starting Aug. 17. All season packages, such as Flex, will be available. For more information, visit tickets@grct.org or call 616-222-6650.
Dust off your dancing shoes because the seasonal kick-off celebration Jump Into Summer at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts is right around the corner. Join SCA on June 4 for a free, socially-distanced event featuring live music, visual arts, community art projects, all-ages activities, local vendors and, most importantly, opportunities to connect with community members and friends.
Mike Mains and The Branches
After a cold-weather pause on live music at the SCA, the Outdoor Plaza Stage is ready to be rocked by Mike Mains & The Branches at 6 p.m.. Texas-born, Michigan-bred and Nashville-based, this electrifying indie-pop outfit has built a reputation on intricate instrumentation, aggressive vocals, and unforgettable live performances.
While dancing isn’t required, the music of Mike Mains & The Branches will have you moving and grooving, which is enthusiastically encouraged in the designated dancing areas.
“We are so excited to be bringing this festive, celebratory event back to Saugatuck,” says the Center’s Executive Director Kristin Armstrong. “This event is a step closer to what we have always known and loved about gatherings, including safe social distancing practices.”
In addition to the tunes, don’t miss the opportunity to meet esteemed Chicago muralist Sandra Antongiorgi, who will be on site for the opening of the SCA’s summer exhibition, “Elevating Humanity: Forging Healing Through Connection.” This collection of works encourages visitors to recognize what we all share and open their minds and hearts to connect with those most marginalized by systemic oppression.
Sandra Antongiorgi
Want to leave your mark on the SCA space? Visitors of all ages have the chance to be a part of a community art project inspired by Antongiorgi’s work. The SCA Education Team invites guests to join a collaborative project building a magnet mural, inspired by Sandra’s work, on the SCA’s soaring arches. Add your unique piece and see the mural grow! There will also be make-and-take activities available if families prefer to create at home.
Guests can also follow the dancing, costumed crossing guards across the street to Coughlin Park for a variety of family-friendly art activities as well as booths, manned by community volunteers, featuring fun games, engaging learning opportunities, and giveaways.
Soak up the Saugatuck sun while enjoying this event on the SCA’s newly-renovated and refreshed Outdoor Plaza Stage. Grab a drink from the bar and a delectable snack from an array of food trucks then relax with your family and friends and dance to live music – all in the fresh air.
Keeping the community’s safety in mind, safe distancing will be strictly enforced and thorough cleaning procedures implemented throughout the event. Masks are mandated for all guests over the age of 2.
For additional information about Events at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, exhibits and resources, visit sc4a.org or contact Megan Scheerhorn by email megan@sc4a.org
With restrictions lifting, more and more theater companies are turning on the stage lights and announcing upcoming seasons.
Among those were Grand Rapids Civic Theatre which announced that after 16 month of being dark — except for the 10 For All playwright competition — that it would produced the musical “Flat Stanley” this summer.
Based on Jeffery Brown’s beloved children’s book, this one-hour musical follows 10-year-old Stanley Lambchop, whose life becomes a grand adventure when he wakes up one morning completely flat. Stanley becomes the ultimate exchange student, scouring the globe for a solution to his problem by being stamped, posted, and shipped from Hollywood and France to Honolulu and beyond.
Specific show dates have not been announced but tickets will start selling on June 23. For more information, visit grct.org.
Circle Theatre will present “Always Patsy Cline” June 3 – 30. (Photo by Ashlee McGreevy)
On with the show
Circle Theatre already has had its first performance with its second “Always…Patsy Cline” set June 3 – 20. Starring Emily Diener and Mary Kate Murnen, the show is based on a true story about Cline’s friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger, who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk in 1961 and continued a correspondence with Cline until her death.
Considered a musical tribute to the late country star, the show has down-home country humor and features more than two dozen of Patty’s hits such as “Crazy,” “I Fell to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Walking After Midnight.”
The performance will take place on the lawn of the Aquinas College’s Performing Arts Center, 1703 Robinson Rd. SE. Showtimes will be 7 p.m with matinees on Sunday at 3 p.m. For more information about the show and upcoming performances, call 616-456-6656 or visit circletheatre.org.
Barn Theatre School celebrates 75 years this season. (Supplied)
Something to get jubilant about
The Barn Theatre School will be celebrating its platinum jubilee — 75th anniversary — with some fan favorites such as “Mamma Mia!,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Rocky Horror Show,” along with “Doly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical” and “Spongebob Squarepants The Broadway Musical.”
The season also will include showings of films recorded last summer in the Barn and performances of “Double ‘0’ 69” written by the Barn Theatre’s own Brendan Ragotzy and “A Slippery Slope” by Patrick Hunter.
Tom Wopat, of “Dukes of Hazard” fame, along with other famous Barn Theatre alumni will be stopping in through the season. To get the full rundown, visit www.barntheatreschool.org.
The Hudsonville Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Hudsonville have announced the annual free June Concerts on the Green series will return this year.
The concerts kick off June 3 and will take place every Thursday in June from 7 – 8:30 p.m. in Veteran’s Park, 3275 Central Blvd., Hudsonville.
Each night features a different local band or artist and has a theme for the night’s festivities. Guests are encouraged to arrive early, bring a lawn chair to sit in, and enjoy some food for local food trucks.
The event will follow all state guidance such as gathering sizes and social distancing.
Groups performing are:
June 3: Hooray for the USA featuring Breana Band
June 10: Western Night featuring Alan Turner
June 17: Sports Night featuring Klay N’ The Mud
June 24: Tropical Night featuring D8 and the Dinos
For more information, call city hall at 616-669-0200.
With the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) lifting Covid-19 capacity restrictions for outdoor events beginning June 1, Downtown Holland has announced that the annual Street Performer Series will indeed return this summer. The 2021 Street Performer Series will take place Thursday evenings from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. from June 17 through August 19 and will feature a diverse line-up of performing artists each week The Street Performer Series is supported by the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) through the Holland Area Arts Council.
“We’re very excited to be able to host the Street Performer Series again this summer after having to cancel last year’s event,” said Downtown Holland Marketing Coordinator Kara de Alvare. “We know that so many members of our community and visitors to the area look forward to the event each summer. The Street Performer Series is a great opportunity for young and old alike to experience the performing arts in a fun and accessible way while enjoying all the shopping and dining options Downtown Holland has to offer. The health and safety of our community continues to be our top priority and we’ll be taking steps to make the event a safe one, including closing 8th Street to vehicular traffic to allow for social distancing, limiting the number of performance locations and encouraging performers to mask up if they can.”
Downtown Holland is currently accepting applications from performing artists and groups who are interested in participating in the Street Performer Series this summer. Interested performers must complete the online application found at https://bit.ly/3tVW59g. A link to audition materials (such as a video or audio recording) must also be submitted as part of the application process. Applications are due by this Friday, May 28.
Performers that are accepted into the Series will be notified by email and given set performance dates and locations. Performers must be 18 years of age or older to apply and groups are currently limited to no more than four members to allow for adequate social distancing.
Performers that are accepted into the Series must obtain a Downtown Holland Street Performer Permit from the Downtown Development Authority prior to their first performance date. The permit application is available online at www.downtownholland.com. Permits are $15 for individuals and $25 for groups. Permits are valid through the end of the calendar year and also allow performers the opportunity to perform at their leisure and busk for tips outside of Thursday nights in the approved performance locations. In addition to busking for tips, performers that participate in the Street Performer Series will receive a stipend of $20 for each performance date. Payments will be made at the conclusion of the Series. Performers can contact the Downtown Holland office at downtown@cityofholland.com or 616-796-0472 with questions about the application process.
If you think you know about turtles, you’ve got plenty to learn when Lakeshore Museum Center opens Turtle Travels, a fun-filled, interactive exhibit that gives visitors a turtle’s-eye view of life in the “slow lane.”
Research shows turtles actually live in and travel through a surprising diversity of habitats. Their journeys are filled with challenges! These findings— and many other turtle studies—come from the use of radio telemetry that tracks how animals move around their habitats. You’ll have a chance to check out this science and see how it works.
You’ll start your journey at the exhibition entrance, where kids can pose as a turtle in front of a marsh habitat backdrop. There’s a child’s bench to sit on and take a photo. After all, you’ll need to rest up for your journey! Once you step onto the giant board game, follow the instructions and you’ll be detoured to interactive games. Find out what it’s like for a turtle trying to cross a road or traverse changing habitats. Be a turtle tracker and see how real field biologists track animals in the wild. The lively setting has plenty to keep children busy as they play the game. For example, an underwater video shows how a sea turtle swims. Trek along this turtle terrain and you’ll find out that slow and steady not only wins the race, but takes turtles on some amazing journeys!
You’ll also discover cool turtle and tortoise facts— how their bodies and shells have adapted to many different habitats, why they need shells, the hazards they encounter in the wild, how they are important to many different cultures, and more. Turtle Travels provides unusual perspectives on these amazing reptiles.
Does your child want a pet turtle? Wait! First find out what kind of care they need— and how the pet trade isn’t always the best deal for the turtle.
The exhibition has a variety of family-friendly components, including:
● A Swiss Army turtle with moveable feet illustrating how turtles’ limbs are adapted to fit their environment ● A station to build the arch of a turtle’s shell ● A restful spot to lounge on a turtle and discover the many turtles that star in children’s tales
Admission for the Turtle Travels exhibit is free for Muskegon County residents and Museum members. Non-residents ages 3 and up admission is $5.
You can visit the Turtle Travels exhibit starting May 21 through September 4 at the Lakeshore Museum Center at 430 W. Clay Ave in Muskegon.
Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council just released its Creative Connections game that will run through April 30, 2022. (Provided)
By Millicent Huminsky Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council
The arts, music and theater scene is thriving in Southwest Michigan. Now it’s more fun than ever to discover this region’s creative side by playing Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council’s new Creative Connections game between now and April 30, 2022. Laugh, be awed, meet the artists and send your spirits soaring while earning cool, artsy prizes along the way.
“Our Southwest Michigan region is very fortunate to have a vibrant and comprehensive arts scene,” said Mike Nadolski, executive director of The Mendel Center, one of the 16 game destinations. “The arts add significantly to the quality of life for all by entertaining, educating and inspiring us. Creative Connections is a fun and easy way to learn more about some of the many varied arts organizations our region has to offer.”
Here’s how the game works:
Pick up a Creative Connections brochure. You’ll be able to request one online or at any of the Creative Connections destinations.
Visit the Creative Connections destinations (listed below). Each business will have a door decal or a flag signifying their role in the game.
Show your brochure and collect a stamp at each location you visit. Each destination has a personalized stamp.
Collect stamps to earn prizes starting at just three Creative Connections stops.
Return your brochure to the Tourist Council to be validated for prizes. Your prizes and brochure will be mailed back to you so you can continue playing.
All brochures must be sent for validation by May 9, 2022. You must be 18 years or older to play.
“It’s not always the case that you can play a game, be enriched and win prizes, too,” Nadolski said. “You already win just by dabbling or fully immersing yourself in an art museum, dance studio, performance, concert or gallery. Plus, you never know — you might find a piece of art or an experience that awakens a creative impulse and sends you into a new and exciting direction. That’s the transformative power of art.”
Creative Connections destinations include: The Acorn, ARS Gallery, Arts & Culture Center, Box Factory for the Arts, Buchanan Arts Center, Citadel Dance & Music Center, Chartreuse Art Gallery, The Gallery at Harbor Shores, The GhostLight Theatre, The History Center at Courthouse Square (Berrien County Historical Association), JLN Studio, Krasl Art Center,The Mendel Center of Lake Michigan College, Silver Beach Carousel, Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Twin City Players and Water Street Glassworks.
Learn more about each destination and the prizes you can earn at https://swmichigan.org/creative. You’ll also find helpful FAQs, game instructions, the online brochure request and more.
“I would love to see arts enthusiasts flock to our area and spend a night or more in one of our local hotels so they can experience the arts scene while also touring the countryside, visiting our wineries, shops, restaurants, shorelines and golf courses,” Nadolski said. “When you package it all up, we really have a spectacular and highly accessible arts scene with the quality and diversity you might expect to find in a region much larger than ours.”
The Southwest Michigan Tourist Council connects visitors and locals alike with things to do in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties. View their curated itineraries, Makers Trail destinations, blogs, trail guides, newsletters and more online. For more information, visit https://swmichigan.org or https://www.facebook.com/swmtc/, or call 269-925-6301.
The West Michigan Whitecaps — returning from a lost season in 2020 due to the pandemic — rallied for a 9-8 walk-off victory over the Great Lakes Loons Wednesday, May 12, at LMCU Ballpark, the team’s first home victory since Aug. 25, 2019.
The Whitecaps improved to 3-4 on the season while the Loons fall to 2-6.
This six-game series against the Great Lakes Loons continues Thursday at 6:35 p.m., as the Whitecaps send pitcher Chance Kirby to the mound against lefty Alec Gamboa for Great Lakes.
Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 p.m. A limited number of tickets are available for select Whitecaps 2021 home contests by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting whitecapsbaseball.com.
May 12 game breakdown
According to supplied material, in the May 12 game, Whitecap Daniel Cabrera’s game-tying RBI-double in the ninth set up a wild pitch that scored the Tigers 2020 second round pick from third base to win the contest.
The Whitecaps were hot at the plate early, plating seven runs through the first three innings as the Loons committed two errors while walking six as Parker Meadows, Andre Lipcius, and Dillon Dingler combined for four RBIs to take a 7-0 lead.
Whitecaps starting pitcher Garrett Hill, and bullpen arms Zach Hess and Brendan White, struck out 10 Great Lakes hitters through the first six innings while allowing two hits – both of them solo home runs. But the Loons made their comeback in the eighth as Miguel Vargas and Deacon Liput both drove in runs and narrowed the West Michigan lead to 7-4.
In the top of the ninth, the Loons loaded the bases with none out before single and a hit-by-pitch allowed a pair of Great Lakes runs and ended Whitecaps closer Ruben Garcia’s night while cutting the lead to just one, 7-6.
Yaya Chentouf came on in relief for the Whitecaps with the bases loaded and still none out, striking out two Great Lakes batters before two West Michigan fielding errors allowed Great Lakes to take the lead, 8-7.
But the Whitecaps responded in the bottom half, as Cabrera laced a game-tying RBI-double before scoring on a wild pitch to score the winning run.
Chentouf (2-0) gained his second win of the season with one inning while allowing no earned runs on a pair of strikeouts in the victory.
If The Accidentals plan works the way they envision, Katie, Sav and Michael will be playing music off their just-dropped release, “TIME OUT (Session 1)”, live and in front of an audience in Kentwood and elsewhere this fall — that is, after all, where they felt most at home before the pandemic hit the fan(s) and the bands.
It is not that their 2020 was a complete loss, as they made clear during a late April interview with WKTV‚ where they debuted a live cut of “Might As Well Be Gold”, a song co-written with Maia Sharp.
The Accidentals in private concert. (Special for WKTV)
“Might As Well Be Gold” is included on the “TIME OUT (Session 1), which was released May 7, a collection of songs which includes the single “Wildfire”, co-written by Kim Richey — who has worked with the likes ofTrisha Yearwood, Radney Foster, Brooks & Dunn — and which is getting The Accidentals a fair amount of national notice and airplay.
The appropriately named “TIME OUT” EP was, in fact, written during quarantine over Zooms with Richey and other legendary songwriters including Tom Paxton, Dar Williams and Mary Gauthier and more. And they found their pandemic hibernation led them to a new, maybe more introspective, way of writing music.
“We found things that work for us and found things that didn’t work for us,” said Savannah “Sav” Buist, who along with Katie Larson and Michael Dause, make up The Accidentals. “But I think it was just nice to have the time … We tired so consistently that when we come home Katie and I just tend to spit out songs within a week and then not really look back. It was nice to look back … This year I learned to take my time, to come back to a song.”
The Accidentals (Supplied/Courtesy Aryn Madigan)
The Traverse City based power pop trio with a soft, classical heart talked with WKTV about coming home from Nashville when things went south due to the pandemic, about writing music via Zoom, and how a “ping pong” of musical ideas bouncing back and forth helped keep them stay sane and productive during the long, quiet months.
The also talked about the anticipation of getting back on the road after years of playing something like 200 shows a year at festivals such as the Rocky Mountain Folk Fest, Summerfest, SXSW, and Electric Forest, and well as sharing the same stage with the likes of Brandi Carlile, Joan Baez, Andrew Bird, and The Decemberists.
For more information on The Accidentals and their new release, visit theaccidentalsmusic.com.
Ottawa Country’s Nunica Cemetery is one of the most haunted cemeteries in the state and where Gathering Research And Stories of Paranormal Phenomena got its start. (Public Domain)
Nunica Cemetery is on top of the list of most haunted cemeteries in the state. The cemetery is located in Ottawa County’s Crockery Township. Ghost hunters report extreme cold spots, otherworldly voices, orbs and floating lights, the spirit of a little girl, a Civil War hero, and the apparition of a “mysterious lady in white.”
Ideally cemeteries serve as locations for the dead to rest in peace but unfortunately mistakes and disrespectful practices can lead to spiritual unrest.
The rumored ghost activity of Nunica Cemetery has also resulted in the birth of one of the most respected paranormal investigative teams of South West Michigan. Bill and Connie Jones of GRASPP Paranormal say they started their adventure on a “whim” one Halloween night with an “impromptu” ghost hunt at Nunica Cemetery. Gathering Research And Stories of Paranormal Phenomena, G.R.A.S.P.P. has evolved from this spooky inception as ghost hunters to include research and investigations into Bigfoot and other cryptids, as well as ufology. With 15-plus years of experience and accumulated knowledge, this unique husband/wife team of paranormal investigators has learned the importance of being dedicated, honest, and objective. Their promise of confidentiality, their emphasis on debunking such things as orbs, and the decision to become a LLC or limited liability company, elevates GRASPP from other teams.
GRASPP will have its upcoming Paranormal Summit for Paranormal professionals, which is May 14 – 16, at the SS City of Milwaukee located in Manistee. (Public Domain)
GRASPP is based out of Grand Haven with about 10 current full-time members, including sensitives. The team utilizes modern equipment and techniques as well as old school dowsing rods, but it’s the discipline of their methods that separates them from most teams.
GRASPP has always been generous helping and educating, but their passion for paraunity has reached a higher level. In 2018, GRASPP focused on Michigan’s mysterious encounters and brought an impressive list of speakers to Grand Haven for an event that they single-handedly orchestrated. The event, Michigan Ghost Coast Paranormal Convention explored such topics as: Demonology, Cryptozoology, Haunts of Mackinac, and UFO sightings; featuring authors, Amberrose Hammond, Todd Clements, Shetan Noir, and William Konkolesky. The significance and synchronicity of this single event cannot be overstated as it started the ball rolling in all different directions. Last year GRASPP organized and hosted an event on the USS LST 393 in Muskegon and followed that with the first Paranormal Summit on board the SSCity of Milwaukee docked in Manistee along with being able to investigate the Coast Guard ship USCGC-Acacia.
GRASPP has scheduled the second Paranormal Summit for Paranormal professionals only, May 14 – 16 again on board the SS City of Milwaukee in Manistee. See the Jones’s on GRGHP episode 29. Find additional info at graspp.org.
After primarily operating freight trains during the COVID-19 pandemic the Coopersville & Marne Railway announces the return of its popular passenger trains. A tentative schedule has been set for reopening in June; including EnterTRAINment excursions on Saturdays June 5 and 26; as well as Wednesday June 16. These train rides, featuring local musicians, depart the Coopersville station at 1:30 p.m.
According to Operations Manager, Nick Anderson, “We look forward to again offering our popular Vintage Train rides, while also assuring the safety of our passengers and volunteers.” In resuming passenger service, the railroad will follow all current CDC, MDHHS, and Ottawa County Health Department guidelines. Train capacities will be reduced to accommodate social distancing. Train crews and passengers over 2 years of age are required to wear masks; as mandated by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA). All ticketing will be handled electronically, and passengers will be subject to temperature checks and COVID-19 screening before boarding the train.
Additional information regarding our June train schedule can be found on our website at mitrain.net. The website also features our COVID-19 protocols and procedures.
The Coopersville & Marne Railway is an ‘all volunteer’ vintage railroad located midway between Grand Rapids and Muskegon, offering 90-minute train rides between our namesake towns. Our train includes coaches dating to the 1920’s along with 1950’s era locomotives. And the route we follow originated with an 1848 charter for the Oakland and Ottawa Railroad. The Coopersville & Marne Railway offers EnterTRAINment Excursions, specialty Theme Trains and group charters during our normal operating season.
It’s been a wait – a long wait, but area residents can finally attend a live theater performance starting this Thursday.
Circle Theatre will open its season with the 1978 Pulitzer Prize winning play “The Gin Game,” featuring local radio personality Shelley Irwin and Stathi Afendoulis, May 6 – 16.
“We are thrilled to finally be able to present a live production again after such a long intermission,” said Circle Theatre Executive and Artistic Director Lynn Brown Tepper. “While it may look a little different, the excitement is the same. Nothing can replace the magic that takes place between the audience and the performers in a live theatrical performance and Circle Theatre is ready to celebrate that experience once again with our amazing community.”
Local theatre has taken a deep hit this past year with multiple postponements and cancellations due to COVID-19. These intermissions have left Circle Theatre with a renewed commitment to keeping theatre alive through safe and entertaining community events.
“The Gin Game is not only a powerful and prescient story, but will also be one of the very first live play performances in West Michigan since before the pandemic,” said Director John Vesbit.
“The Gin Game” tells the story of Weller Martin (Afendoulis) and Fonsia Dorsey (Irwin). The two nursing home residents strike up a friendship while learning to play gin rummy. The pair begin sharing stories about the lives they led in the outside world until Fonsia starts to win every hand. With Weller’s frustration, the nursing home porch quickly turns into a battleground.
“Circle Theatre provided me the opportunity to grow as an actor, and inspired my decision to move to New York and become a theater professional,” Afendoulis said. “Forty-two years later, I’m back home, on the stage that launched my career.”
The face off: Stathi Afendoulis and Shelly Irwin in “The Gin Game.” (Provided)
The production will be at the Aquinas College Performing Arts Center, 1703 Robinson Road SE. Social distancing between groups and masks are required. Tickets are $20 and all proceeds go directly to supporting local theatre through Circle Theatre.
Doors open at 6 p.m. “The Gin Game” will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday – Saturday, with matinee shows taking place on Sunday, May 9 and 16, at 3 p.m.
For more information on Circle Theatre’s 2021 season, to purchase tickets, or to find more ways to support Circle Theatre, call 616-456-6656 or visit circletheatre.org.
In celebration of Michigan Wine Month, the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail invites you to “Rosé All May” for a month-long, trail-wide event. Rosé All May is not a large-scale gathering but rather individual experiences at the area wineries. For an advance ticket purchase price of $35, ticket holders can enjoy a 3 oz glass of rosé at each of the 21 participating wineries in an event-themed souvenir glass. The estimated ticket value is $200.
While each ticket holder can travel along the peninsula at their leisure to receive their larger pour of rosé from each winery, reservations are highly recommended. The trail’s wineries offer a wide variety of rosé wines, including dry, sweet, sparkling, and still. They will include the wineries’ latest rosé releases made with local varietals, such as Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.
Sleeping Bear Loop: Bel Lago Vineyards & Winery, Laurentide Winery, Chateau Fontaine, Verterra Winery, Amoritas Winery, Soul Squeeze Cellars, Good Harbor Vineyards, French Valley Vineyard, Boathouse Vineyards.
Tickets for this event are non-transferable and attendees must be prepared to show a valid, government-issued photo ID at each winery. The wineries will conduct business much in the same way that they are now with groups of no more than six people per party, socially distanced, with all precautions in place to create a safe environment for both guests and employees.
Tag us on social media @lpwines with your #RoséAllMay adventures and stay tuned for more information about our next trail-wide event, Sip and Savor, June 4th – 6th, 2021!
About Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail:
The Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail is divided into three trails for easy touring: the Sleeping Bear Loop, the Northern Loop, and the Grand Traverse Bay Loop. Each tasting room along the trail offers its own unique experience, from pure elegance with unparalleled views to cozy nooks loaded with charm. As you sip wines and chat with laid-back winemakers that produce them, you’re sure to find many reasons to love the trail!
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced it is taking the popular live Curator Battle regionally, starting with a competition against the Michigan Science Center (MiSci) on Tuesday, May 4 at 4 p.m., held via Facebook Live (@grmuseum). The GRPM launched the Curator Battle series in 2020 on its Facebook page as a way to connect with the community and share the Museum virtually due to closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The GRPM/MiSci Curator Battle will have a special twist in celebration of the battle reaching Detroit — the presidents of both organizations will be competing: Dale Robertson, the President and CEO of the GRPM and Christian Greer, the President and CEO of MiSci.
Christian Greer, President and CEO of the Michigan Science Center
“We’re delighted to join the Grand Rapids Public Museum in a fun and light-hearted competition that shows off how we put you at the center of science in everything we do,” said Christian Greer. “During the competition, we’ll challenge your perception of reality with our Ames Room, take a trip on the Apollo Capsule from the Rocket Garden in our Space Gallery, visit a Wind Tunnel, learn about sustainability with something called a ‘Fatberg’ and then swing back home to Michigan to land on our version of the Mackinac Bridge. We think it will be a lot of fun for everyone watching at home.”
Due to closures across the world in the beginning of the pandemic, the Yorkshire Museum, located in England, launched a weekly #CuratorBattle competition on Twitter to challenge other museums to showcase their collections based on a particular theme. Through this inspiration, the GRPM took the idea of a curator competition to Facebook in August of 2020 to connect with its online community in a fun and unique way, while also showcasing the Museum’s artifacts, specimens, and staff expertise. Since the launch, the Museum has partnered with local West Michigan cultural organizations including Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Art Museum, and looks forward to expanding to more regional partners and beyond to continue the friendly competition to educate and entertain each organization’s online audience.
“Currently, the GRPM is the only organization hosting live conversations of this type that we know of, and it’s been exciting to see the engagement of our community learning about the Museum and our Collections, as well as to see the partnerships that have come out of this idea,” said Alee’a Cherry, Marketing Manager at the GRPM. “Although the title of the event mentions “curator,” the Museum has found creative ways to incorporate organizations that don’t have curators on staff to be more inclusive so we can partner with a wider variety of organizations.”
Michigan Science Center in Detroit
Each Curator Battle is hosted by the GRPM and features five topics that the contenders will speak on for a few minutes each. The presentation is also complemented by high quality images and/or video. Viewers are encouraged to ask the contenders questions, leave comments and share the event to show support of the program. The Curator Battle videos will live on the GRPM’s Facebook page for later viewing.
The GRPM will continue to engage local cultural organizations in the Curator Battle as it continues to expand. Viewers can tune into the next local battle against the Grand Rapids Public Library on Thursday, June 24 at 4 p.m. on the GRPM’s Facebook page (@grmuseum). The GRPM’s Collections Curator Andrea Melvin will be battling against the GRPL’s Head of Grand Rapids History and Special Collections, Julie Tabberer.
Organizations interested in participating in one of the GRPM’s Curator Battles can inquire by reaching out to info@grpm.org.
Is it true that a painting conservator is also a detective? According to acclaimed conservator and art historian Barry Bauman, every painting has its secrets. During his 46 years of experience treating and analyzing damaged paintings, he has uncovered many of them—lost signatures, hidden dates, and entire paintings hidden beneath other works. Two of his discoveries were so phenomenal they landed on the front page of The New York Times. Bauman will uncover answers to mystery surrounding two of the Muskegon Museum of Art’s treasured paintings in a free Zoom presentation, “Solving the Cranach Mystery Surrounding the Portraits of Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora,” hosted by the museum on Thursday, May 6, at 5 p.m.
Barry Bauman With Conserved Thomas Sully’s Portrait of George Washington and John Singer Sargent’s Portrait of General Lucius Fairchild
Bauman’s discoveries lectures have been his most popular, especially for a museum audience, where attendees interested in art, art history, chemistry, physics, history, and museum studies all overlap with conservation concerns. Most individuals are not aware of the conservation field and the rewards it has to offer.
At the beginning of his career, Barry Bauman worked for eleven years at the Art Institute of Chicago, departing as the Associate Conservator of Paintings. He then founded and directed the Chicago Conservation Center for 20 years, which was the largest conservation facility in the nation. In 2004, Bauman left the private sector to establish Bauman Conservation, America’s first conservation laboratory dedicated to offering complimentary services to museums and non-profit organizations. When he closed Bauman Conservation in 2018, it was estimated he had contributed more than $6,000,000 in conservation services to museums and nonprofits.
In August 2019, Barry Bauman opened Conservation Ventures (ConservationVentures.org), a company that focuses on presentations and CAP grants to assist museums with recommendations and priorities for long-range collection care. Bauman is an Elected Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation.
Seattle’s Little Free Art Gallery have become increasingly popular with Frankfort, Michigan, establishing a similar concept for the summer.
Oliver Art Center is excited to announce its newest community program, Little Free Galleries.
“The idea came from an article in the Seattle Times about an artist who established a gallery much like the well-known Little Free Libraries. We put out a call for a volunteer to make us one to put out in front of the art center and we received three offers! We then adjusted our thinking and decided it would be fun and could reach more of the community to have three located in Frankfort,” said Mercedes Michalowski, Executive Director of Oliver Art Center. Both Benzie Shores District Library and Century 21 Northland have agreed to host their own gallery in partnership with Oliver Art Center.
The Galleries have been made by Brad Sprouse, Lou Cenname, and Bob Crissman, all of Frankfort. The volunteers have vast carpentry experience and even experience in building Little Free Libraries and Pantries. The artwork will be provided by volunteers as well. Anyone is welcome to participate!
“The program will function much like the Little Free Libraries with the idea of: need art, take art; have art, leave art. We hope folks will enjoy the free exchange of art objects that will include paintings, fiber work, ceramic sculptures, and much more. While there is no requirement to leave art if you take it, we hope that people will just enjoy the art and idea itself. And if folks don’t have art to give, but want to give back, OAC is accepting donations in order to maintain the galleries,” said Michalowski.
Benzie Shores District Library is hoping to also expand their gallery’s offerings to books and art supplies. “We are so excited to share this project with the Art Center. Who knows, I may even create my own little piece of art for the gallery!” said Stacy Pasche, Library Director.“Art can stir memories or evoke strong feelings… just as selling or purchasing a home can do the same. The agents and brokers at CENTURY 21 Northland are humbled and honored to be able to give back to our communities by hosting a Little Free Art Gallery. Being located in one of the busiest two blocks on Main Street is key to showcasing Oliver Art Center’s presence and will bring smiles and good conversations to those walking by,” said Judi Tousley, Century 21 Northland.
Frankfort’s Little Free Art Galleries will be installed and ready for art and visitors May 1. Oliver Art Center is currently accepting art for the galleries. They are looking for smaller size works of art (less than 12 inches) and even have 4×4 blank canvases kits available to purchase for $10 – all proceeds go to maintenance and upkeep of the galleries. If you have any questions, please contact Mercedes or Brian at the Oliver Art Center, info@oliverart.org or 231-352-4151.
The Chickasaw Nation Productions’ documentary “First Encounter” from the Chickasaw Heritage Series will air at 5 p.m., Thursday, April 29 in Wyoming, Michigan, on WKTV Community Access Channel 25 and online at WKTV.org.
The Chickasaw Heritage Series is a video project initiative from Chickasaw Nation Productions designed to inform, educate and entertain audiences about the resilient and persevering spirit of the Chickasaw Nation.
“First Encounter” explores the actions taken by Chickasaws in 1541 during their first contact with Europeans. The documentary highlights the encounters, struggles and perseverance of the Chickasaw people throughout the attempted conquest by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto.
This encounter helped establish the reputation for which the tribe would be recognized for centuries and remains today – “unconquered and unconquerable.”
Chickasaw curriculum
Both Chickasaw Heritage Series “First Encounter” and “Bearer of the Morning” documentaries have been incorporated into an online curriculum produced by the Chickasaw Nation for elementary and secondary school levels. These and other lessons are available to homeschool and public school educators by visiting Chickasaw.net/AtHome.
These lessons might also interest anyone looking to dig deeper into the history and culture of the Chickasaw people, with reference materials and photographs presented much like a textbook.
Every lesson of the Chickasaw Nation curriculum is aligned with Oklahoma Academic Standards as outlined by the Oklahoma State Department of Education social studies guide.
Areas of study include history, social studies, geography and government. Students who dive into these studies will develop skills including reading, writing, critical thinking, test taking and artistic creation.
Each lesson is complete with its own lesson plan, reading material, discussion questions, student activity and reference list for convenience. This material can be easily incorporated into any educational setting.
LowellArts invites visitors to GETAWAY, a new gallery exhibit opening May 1. The exhibit features artwork by 100 artists from Michigan that celebrates the places or moments in time that provide us a chance to retreat, relax, and recharge. Artists ages 14 and older were invited to submit artwork, in any medium, that fit this theme. Entries could be either representational or abstract depictions of locations, objects, or an atmosphere meant to inspire, uplift, and transport the viewer to a place of rest or renewal.
The artwork will be on display at the LowellArts Gallery, 223 W Main St., Lowell, from May 1 to June 12. Gallery hours are: Tues-Fri 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sat noon – 5 p.m.
The West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) has released the 2021 Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour. This is a free poster-sized publication which details all of the lighthouses located on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as the Circle Tour driving route to guide motorists around the lake.
The full circle tour driving route around Lake Michigan is available online, and website visitors may also download a PDF of this year’s Lighthouse Map, or request that a free copy be mailed to them here: www.wmta.org/lake-michigan-lighthouse-map-circle-tour/
Vacationers have been looping the lake for generations, but the official “Lake Michigan Circle Tour” route was not established until the 1980s when the Michigan Department of Transportation teamed up with West Michigan Tourist Association to create the route and its official guidebook. Along the way, travelers will find more than 100 lighthouses, countless islands, unique attractions, parks and natural areas, miles of glorious beaches, quaint harbor towns, and one “modern marvel” – the Mackinac Bridge.
While a loosely-organized “circle route” around Lake Superior was promoted by local tourist organizations as early as the 1960s, the first official (and signed) Great Lakes Circle Tour was the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. The only single-nation Circle Tour (Lake Michigan being the only Great Lake completely within the US), the Lake Michigan Circle Tour also has the most mileage of any Circle Tour in the state.
Featured on the Lighthouse Guide is the Point Betsie Lighthouse in Frankfort, Michigan (Public Domain)
Working in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the West Michigan Tourist Association helped to make the first of the official Great Lakes Circle Tours a reality and the first publication was released in 1988 as a 52-page guide book. The guide book was transformed into a map in 2007, and the Circle Tour driving route can now be found online.
The cover of this year’s map features Point Betsie Lighthouse as photographed by Michael Mullin, which is located in Frankfort.
Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour publications are also available in bulk quantities; please contact Travel@WMTA.org for more information.
With opening day a little less than a month away — with their first game May 4 and first home game May 11 — the West Michigan Whitecaps are gearing up for a season that is bound to be unlike any they have had in the past.
Due to the pandemic, the fan experience will still be fun, but will be slightly different, according to Steve VanWagoner, director of marketing, for the Whitecaps and the now-named LMCU (Lake Michigan Credit Union) Ballpark.
The current capacity for the stadium is at 2,000, which is 20 percent of their normal capacity. Initially, the organization sold multi-game ticket plans to make it easier to comply with health and safety guidelines such as seating groups in pods at the stadium. But a “very limited” number of single game tickets for May and June games are on sale starting Wednesday, April 21.)
“The Whitecaps will be fun and entertaining and be a great experience this summer,” VanWagoner recently said to WKTV. “In the meantime go to our website (milb.com/west-michigan), find the safety and information page, and know that when you come to the ballpark we are serious about being family friendly and safe.”
After the Whitecaps open the season May 4 at the Fort Wayne Tin Cups, then open the home season on May 11 with a six-game homestead starting with the Great Lakes Loons.
VanWagoner said ticketed fans should be expecting an email outlining the team’s plan for how to administer all the necessary safety protocols, such as social distancing, wearing masks, continuing checking bags as in the past, and regulations regarding concession and where you are allowed to eat. Fans will be “recommended” to get tested prior to coming to a game, but it is not a requirement.
However safety precautions are not the only thing that is new for the Whitecaps this upcoming season as they were officially named a High A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
This decision came during December 2020 and VanWagoner spoke to how this will change the overall fan experience.
“For the fans, (it will be) a better experience, because the players that they are watching are higher caliber with more experience and higher skill level then West Michigan fans are used to seeing, so we expect to see plays that fans haven’t seen before from the Whitecaps, and just a better experience overall,” he said.
Another change for the team came in February when the stadium name was changed from Fifth Third Ballpark to LMCU (Lake Michigan Credit Union) Ballpark in a new 10-year deal. Van Wagoner went into further detail about what this change actually means for the Whitecaps organization and the fans.
“Many huge signs and things inside the ballpark will look different, but to be clear it is a name change and not an ownership change” VanWagoner said. “We are family owned and privately held, as we always have been.”
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) is preparing once again for Collections & Cocktails, an annual fundraiser focusing on the Museum’s Collections and the stories, preservation and education efforts of artifacts within the Collections.
This year, the GRPM is offering a virtual event on Wednesday, May 19, along with small group, socially distanced, after-hours exploration of curated displays of furniture on May 19, 20 and 21.
2021 Collections & Cocktails will focus on the Museum’s Furniture Collection, and will feature rare and innovative pieces such as a handmade chair by Grand Rapids’ first furniture maker, William Haldane, pieces by iconic designers like Frank Lloyd Wright and Charles Eames, as well as examples of new techniques and materials pioneered right here in Grand Rapids.
To participate in this year’s Collections & Cocktails, you can RSVP to the virtual event, purchase tickets to the self-guided, in-person tours, or to learn more visit grpm.org/2021Collections-Cocktails or call 616-929-1728.
The Collections and Cocktails events supports the museum’s collections. (Supplied)
“Collections & Cocktails provides the Museum an opportunity to showcase a specific category of its Collections, which helps to celebrate some of the special stories unique to our community,” said Amy Van Andel, Chair of the GRPM’s Collections & Cocktails Committee. “By supporting Collections & Cocktails, you’re contributing not only to the Museum’s efforts to enrich our local community but also to its goals of providing expanded educational opportunities and worldwide access to its Collections. As we are not able to host a dinner this year, everyone who purchases tickets to the self-guided, in-person tour will receive a gift card to support a local restaurant at their leisure. This is just another way the GRPM is giving back to our hometown.”
“The Museum’s Furniture Collection is vast and diverse, showcasing the history of furniture making in the city both in the past and currently,” said Alex Forist, the GRPM’s Chief Curator. “Grand Rapids began to build a reputation as the ‘Furniture City’ in the years following the Civil War with the creation of some of the world’s largest residential furniture factories. Over the course of the 20th century, the focus has shifted to the design and manufacture of fixed seating and office furniture, but Grand Rapids remains a Furniture City to this day. Raising awareness to support this popular Collection is crucial to continue to share the story of our city and make it as accessible to the broader community through our digital Collections and fundraisers like Collections & Cocktails.”
Funds raised during Collections & Cocktails support the Museum’s Collection of over 250,000 artifacts and specimens, caring for and preserving these pieces, including their stories and use in educational programs.
Thanks to the support of local furniture companies and partners, the Museum is adding several pieces of furniture into its permanent Collections including modern examples from companies like Haworth, Herman Miller, Steelcase, Irwin Seating Company, Grand Rapids Chair Company, IDA Design, Landscape Forms, Portobello Road, and others.
On May 19, 20 and 21, ticket holders can explore the GRPM’s iconic furniture artifacts, as well as displays by local furniture companies at a special time after the Museum’s regular operating hours. Self-guided tours will be timed entry to ensure social distancing, and small groups will be determined by ticket purchasers. Masks are required during the entire visit.
Along with the GRPM Collections, curated displays from local furniture partners will offer a full experience of Grand Rapids-made furniture. Furniture display partners include: Belwith Keeler, BOLD Furniture, Custer, Inc., Grand Rapids Chair Co., Grand Rapids Public Museum, Haworth, Herman Miller, Irwin Seating, Kendall College of Art & Design, Kindel Grand Rapids, Landscape Forms and Steelcase. Select furniture displays will be available to the public for viewing when visiting the Museum starting Monday, May 3 through Friday, May 21.
On their tours, attendees will have the opportunity to visit newly renovated classrooms within the GRPM. These state-of-the-art classrooms have been upgraded with furniture and design elements with the accessibility of all learners at the forefront, thanks to a grant from Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) along with support from Steelcase and Custer. A gift bag featuring New Holland Brewing take-home cocktails and gift cards to local restaurants will be distributed to attendees.
Anyone interested in supporting the care of the Furniture Collections along with the thousands of other pieces in the GRPM’s Collections can do so through sponsorship of Collections & Cocktails or by purchasing tickets to the tours being offered. More information on funding opportunities can be found at grpm.org/2021Collections-Cocktails or by contacting Gina Schulz at gschulz@grpm.org or 616.929.1705. To register for the virtual program on May 19, visit grpm.org/Collections-Cocktails.
Bands, Brews and BBQ Festival will return July 10 at Big Rapids. (pxhere.com)
By Sandra Braden Mecosta County Visitors Bureau
The Bands, Brews and BBQ Festival committee are excited to announce that they will be back this summer at the Big Rapids Bandshell on July 10 from 2 p.m.- 10 p.m., for an amazing day of Bands, Brews and BBQ.
In an effort of looking for new and exciting ways to generate greater awareness of the Big Rapids Region, the Mecosta County Visitors Bureau (MCVB) partnered with the Big Rapids Lions Club in 2019 to bring back the highly anticipated Blues, Brews and BBQ Festival. “This has been a great partnership between the two organizations,” stated Connie Koepke – Executive Director of the Mecosta County Visitors Bureau. “The MCVB’s mission is to market the area’s tourism highlights in hopes of capturing overnight stays at area hotels, as well as return visits to the hotels,” which is where the Visitors Bureau receives its funding from. The Lions Club mission is to raise funds that can be used in support of a large variety of activities that improve their communities and help people in need. Dave Hamelund with the Big Rapids Lions Club states, “Some of the Lions Club projects include assisting the hearing impaired, providing diabetes awareness and education materials, working on environmental projects and developing youth programs.”
With the two organizations working together on this amazing event, they are able to not only accomplish both of the groups’ missions and goals, but also create an extraordinary event that can be enjoyed by all. “You may have noticed a change in the name of this year’s event, altering Blues to Bands.” This allows the ability to offer more variety of musical styles and bands as this annual event continues throughout the years to come,” noted Koepke.
The day of the event is set for Saturday, July 10, from 2 – 10 p.m., which is a great kickoff to fair week that begins on Monday the 12. The festival will not only include amazing music throughout the day but also local restaurants, offering at least one BBQ themed item, a beer tent as well as a vendor area for community businesses and/or crafters to sell their wares. Cost for a vendor table is just $25 for the day.
The Mecosta County Visitors Bureau, whom is once again sponsoring the event, noted that there is one other change in this year’s festival. There will not be a charge or ticket cost to attend. The festival will be FREE and open to public. “We are asking that those attending do offer a donation that will go towards the Lions Club and the organizations that they support along with a small portion going to help toward next year’s event expenses,” stated Dave Hamelund of the Big Rapids Lions Club.
Current schedule for the day includes: Kickoff with the Veterans Warrior Motorcycle Club and a Salute to our Veterans, National Anthem (performed by Alison LeVeque) and then a fun-filled day of nonstop Bands, Brews and BBQ.
This year’s musical lineup includes: Key West Permafrost Blues Band, Rochelle & the Spoilers, Brenda Loomis Band and Benzing-Graves Collective. The festival’s MC will be by local musical talent Kelly Quinn. Quinn will also performing during the bands’ transitioning between their sets/acts.
If you are interested in more details and/or to purchase a vendor table at the event, please reach out to the Mecosta County Visitors Bureau at director@bigrapids.org or by calling 231.796.7640.
Opening day for Mackinac State Historic Parks’ sites is less than three weeks away, and MSHP staff are busy readying new tours, exhibits, publications, and more.
The most exciting opening for the season is the Biddle House, featuring the Mackinac Island Native American Museum. It had been slated to open for the 2020 season. However, construction progress was derailed during at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing MSHP to only open the site for a weekend at the very end of the 2020 season. It will open on May 1 with the rest of the MSHP island sites.
“We believe everyone will enjoy the reinvented Biddle House,” said Steve Brisson, MSHP director. “Working with the various tribal partners to tell the continuing story of the Anishnaabek people has been very rewarding, and we’re excited to have it open for the season.”
Up at Fort Mackinac, the beloved Kids’ Quarters will receive an update, the third to the exhibit in its history, helping to fulfill MSHP’s mission in presenting the history of the Straits of Mackinac. Housed in the oldest public building in Michigan, the Kids’ Quarters will allow guests to experience how soldiers and civilians lived at Fort Mackinac in the 19th century. Here you’ll be able to play various musical instruments used by the military, try on clothes, or design your very own fort, among many other activities.
“The Kids’ Quarters has consistently been one of our most popular exhibits,” Brisson said. “We’re happy to unveil this expanded and reimagined version to our guests.”
New programs at Fort Mackinac for the 2021 season include “The Changing Face of Fort Mackinac,” “The Army of the 1880s,” a deeper look into Mackinac National Park, a tour showcasing the women who called Fort Mackinac home, a Signal Drill Activity, and a program dedicated to what happened at Fort Mackinac after the army left in 1895. The Tea Room at Fort Mackinac, operated by Grand Hotel, will feature new menu items for the 2021 season, and, as always, will feature one of the most stunning views in Michigan. The venerable fort also saw some physical updates, with buildings painted, boardwalks replaced, and chimneys repaired. As always, the classic cannon and rifle firings will take place throughout the day, and guests can purchase the opportunity to fire the very first cannon salute of the day.
At The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum, located in front of Fort Mackinac in Marquette Park, a new juried art exhibition will debut on the second floor – “The Seasons of Mackinac.” While Mackinac has always been known as a “summer gathering place,” its beauty is unparalleled in all seasons. Mackinac Island resident and award-winning artist Bill Murcko will serve as juror for the show. It will be on display at the art museum from May 1 through October 10. Additionally, seven artists-in-residence will stay on Mackinac Island throughout the summer. Each artist will host a special, free workshop on the second Wednesday of their residency.
Special events at Fort Mackinac and Mackinac Island include the annual Vintage Base Ball game, on July 24, special activities for July 4, and Movies in the Fort throughout the summer.
The firing of the canons at Fort Michilimackinac. (Public Domain)
As guests enter Colonial Michilimackinac, in Mackinaw City, they will be stepping back in time to 1778, when rumors of war and peace swirled around Michilimackinac. Guests will see and hear how soldiers, civilians, and Native people responded to threats real and imagined as they attempted to maintain their livelihood, the fur trade.Two new programs at the fort will provide guests an opportunity to get more hands-on with history, where you’ll unpack a trade bale and another where you’ll explore an artilleryman’s arsenal. Other programs at the site will talk about women’s roles at the fort, the enslaved community, the 5,500 square feet of gardens, as well as musket and artillery demonstrations.
An exciting new program at Colonial Michilimackinac allows guests the opportunity to fire all four black-powder weapons at Michilimackinac: the Short Land Musket, Wall Gun (a BIG musket), Coehorn Mortar, and, as the finale, the cannon. This program is available every evening after the fort closes for regular business June 5-October 8.
The Mackinac State Historic Parks’ archaeology program will enter its 63rd season in 2021. Work will continue in House E of the Southeast Rowhouse at Colonial Michilimackinac. Archaeologists will be out daily (weather permitting) during the summer months.
Special events at Colonial Michilimackinac include an exhilarating “Fire at Night” program, informative history talks on topics such as gardening, archaeology, laundry and more, a celebration of the King’s Birth-day on June 4, Movies by the Bridge, the ever-popular Fort Fright, and A Colonial Christmas, among others.
The last few years have seen several gallery openings at Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse – the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Museum, the Science and Technology Exhibit, and the Marshall Gallery on the extensively renovated second floor. All galleries will be fully open for the 2021 season. Throughout the day guides will sound the Fog Signal Whistle.
Over at Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park, the Adventure Tour will return to operation for the 2021 season. A more robust daily events schedule will showcase the sawpit and sawmill, an extensive tour looking at what else happened historically at Historic Mill Creek, and guided nature hikes through the three miles of groomed hiking trails.
Two new publications will hit bookshelves in 2021. The first, Preservation at Mackinac – The History of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, 1895-2020, is an update to 100 Years at Mackinac, originally published in 1995 as part of the centennial celebration of Mackinac Island State Park. This updated version fills in the past 25 years and adds additional details to other events. The other publication, Pipes and Bottles or Bacchanalian Revels? The Truth About Robinson’s Folly, is a new vignette by Todd E. Harburn and Brian Leigh Dunnigan.
Finally, the last major new development will be the completion of road work along M-185. The road, which has been heavily damaged by high water levels the last few years, will be fully paved throughout the summer. While this may cause annoyances for the 2021 season, the completed road will allow visitors to explore the beautiful shoreline in peace for many years in the future.
“We were very pleased and fortunate to safely open last year,” Brisson said. “We’re optimistic for the 2021 season and excited to provide our guests with these new experiences to go along with the programming they’ve come to expect from us.”
Visitors have a limited time left to explore the popular Under the Arctic and Sean Kenney’s Wild Connections Made with LEGO® Bricks exhibitions at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM). Under the Arctic’s last date to visit will be Sunday, April 25 and the last date to visit Wild Connections is Sunday, May 2.
“The Museum continues to offer an unforgettable experience for the community, and currently these popular exhibitions offer two distinct experiences allowing all ages to learn about science, ecosystems and the human impact on nature, in a fun and immersive way,” said Kate Kocienski, the GRPM’s Vice President of Marketing and PR. “Museums offer a low-risk opportunity for the community to get out of the house, spark their curiosity and create family memories, while learning and having fun. We encourage visitors to plan their trip in advance to see these exhibits before they leave Grand Rapids.”
Explore larger-than-life sculptures made with more than 2 million LEGO® bricks in Sean Kenney’s Wild Connections Made with LEGO® Bricks! Kids and adults are in awe of the stunning sculptures that teach about animal endangerment, ecosystems, and mankind’s relationship with nature. Favorites include the hummingbird that defies gravity, the mountain goats whose textured fur is made from small LEGO® brick people when you look closely at the detail, and the miniature cityscape. Wild Connections must be added in addition to general admission tickets for your visit.
Included with your admission tickets, Under the Arctic addresses climate change through the lens of a thawing Arctic environment to educate visitors about permafrost’s fascinating characteristics and its greater implications. Featuring various interactive components, this exhibit includes a 30-foot-long Alaskan permafrost tunnel replica, fossil research stations and interactive games.
Visit grpm.org to purchase tickets today to see these fascinating exhibitions before they are gone. Kent County residents receive discounted admission to the GRPM, including Kent County kids aged 17 and under receiving free general admission everyday! Wild Connections tickets are only $4 for the public and $2 for GRPM members.
“Under the Arctic” is set to close on April 25. (Supplied)
Advance ticket purchase is required before you visit to ensure a seamless and contactless entry for each visitor. Visitors are required to wear masks properly during the duration of their visit. The Museum offers a low-risk environment with increased sanitization stations and cleaning protocols, hospital grade HVAC ion filters for air filtration, and limited capacity for daily entrance to ensure social distancing.
LowellArts Youth Theater presents The Trial of Goldilocks by Joseph Robinette. In rhyme, mime, and mirth, this exciting comedy examines the familiar fairy tale from three points of view: the traditional, the Bears’, then Goldilocks’. Performances are: Friday, April 16, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 11 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. at Lowell Performing Arts Center/Lowell High School, 11700 Vergennes, Lowell.
The production includes youth and teen actors ages 8 and up from Lowell and surrounding communities. Directed by Teresa Goldner. Tickets are $5 for In-Person Attendance or for Live-Stream Access. Tickets are available at showtix4u.com or by calling 897-8545. More info at www.lowellartsmi.org/trial-ofgoldilocks.
In rhyme, mime and mirth, this exciting comedy examines the familiar fairy tale from three points of view: the traditional, the Bears’, then Goldilocks’. Guilty or innocent? Was the young girl a selfish, spoiled brat, intruding where she didn’t belong? Or was she the victim of three conniving bears (and their animal “band of hoods” in the woods)? Complete with a hard-of-hearing judge, a harried clerk, two comic lawyers and a jury (of any size)—which gets involved in the action as tables, chairs, beds and forest animals–this charming comedy is perfect for performers of all ages. From the opening moment, when three vendors attempt to hawk souvenirs among the audience, to the surprising verdict from the jury—and a “happily-ever-after” conclusion—this play, performed completely in verse, is both unique and enchanting. As one critic wrote: “The work is entertaining on all levels and is highly educational, both in presenting the same story from different points of view and in involving the child performers in a variety of ways.”
2021 Cast
Ellory Duimstra, Wyatt Duimstra, Amelia Herrera, Adria Herring, Neil LaPonsie, Olivia Meekhof, Eleanor Pastor, Adelaide Plank, Victor Preiss, Jozelyn Stroud, Calla Swayze, Brody Swift, Stella Tessmer, and Olivia VanGroningen
While dinning at a restaurant called The Whitney in Detroit, Beverlee Rydel took a photo that remains unexplained. The paranormal possibilities of this photo fueled a passion that lead to a 12-year crusade, often traveling tens of thousands of miles per year across Michigan to research paranormal activity. Rydel and her sister Kathleen Tedsen shared the adventure as they bravely ventured into a world of the unknown.
This paranormal pilgrimage and their tedious historical research culminated in Rydel and Tedsen becoming the award winning authors of “Haunted Travels of Michigan.” This three book series is a unique book and website interactive experience. Each story has its own “Secret Room” offering audio, video, and behind the scene colored photos online, where evidence can be reviewed. Rydel and Tedsen included several of Michigan’s top paranormal investigating teams at many of the haunted locations. Their common goal was to separate fact from fiction when it comes to ghost stories, urban legends, folklore, and myth.
Beverlee Rydel
Honorably, if the authors were investigating a location and “no ghostly activity was identified,” they made it clear, “didn’t turn up any paranormal evidence,” and were not afraid to say “no ghosts” here at this time. Hunting ghosts can be a hazardous hobby with inherent risks and real dangers and is not recommended for amateurs. The serious side of the supernatural is explored as Rydell and Tedsen detail accounts of demons and deliverance. Deliverance is needed when obsession nears possession and can be defined as an exorcism.
Rydel and Tedsen followed their highly successful “Haunted Travels of Michigan” book series with their final book, a collaboration titled “Stepping Into Darkness.” Gone but never to be forgotten, Rydel passed away before the book was completed. Tedsen completed the project with chapter one covering Eloise Psychiatric Hospital, considered to be one of Michigan’s top ten most haunted sites. The author’s special connection introduces the reader to “Mark” a patient at the hospital. The personal insights are astonishingly detailed and descriptive.
Kathleen Tedsen
Another chapter is titled, “Lost Boy of Mackinac Island.” In this story the sisters put together clues from the previous year and are able to encourage the spirit of a young boy to cross over to the other side. Channeling peace to the living and the dead is the ultimate goal of ghost hunters. According to Rydel and Tedsen, “Something does exist out there…Something that can’t be explained…Something paranormal.”
Disclaimer: Since my last article on Mackinac Island, I interviewed Todd Clements and he no longer supports the details of “The Drowning Pool” story.
When thinking about a fundraiser for the Grand Rapids Region Writers Group, the obvious answer to author Diana Lloyd was for the group to put out a book.
Like many organizations the GRRWG has been impacted by COVID and the social guidelines that restrict gatherings.
“We couldn’t meet in person,” Lloyd said, adding that the group use to meet at the Kentwood Peppino’s Sports Grille and Pizzeria, which is located near Celebration! South. “We lost our connection, we lost members. So we were trying to think of something that we could do to raise interest and money for the group.”
The money from the fundraiser would be dedicated to the Workshop for Writers program, which is scheduled for August. Started in 2019, the goal was to have one annually but because of group restrictions due to COVID, the writer’s group had to cancel the 2020 event.
With plans to host the 2021 workshop in the works, the GRRWG needed money to bring in speakers, Lloyd said, which lead to members looking for ways to fundraise.
“There were the usual suggestions, sell flowers for Mother’s Day or popcorn, but how do you do that all online?” Lloyd said. “I started thinking what are we? Writers. And what do we do? Write.”
So Lloyd suggested the idea of putting together an anthology of short stories to show the talent pool of the organization’s members. There were a few hurdles, such as finding an editor and coming up with a theme. Lloyd established the theme of “Lost and Found,” with all the stories centered around romance. Each member was asked to contribute a new, original story based on the theme with a total of nine stories included in the final book.
“The idea was that the book was to be released around Valentine’s Day because romance novels sell best during that time,” Lloyd said. But due to some delays, which included the original editor having to leave the project, the anthology’s release was pushed back to the end of March. GRRWG member and contributor Diana Stout volunteered to edit the anthology, which helped to get the project moving forward.
Lloyd said she believes people will be surprised by the variety of stories since romance provides a broad range of possibilities that can be based in the past, the present and/or the future and can also “be of this world or beyond.”
“I am a romance purest,” Lloyd said. “I read these stories and it got me out of my comfort zone and inspired me to look at things in a different way.”
It is the hope of the authors — which along with Lloyd and Stout include Jae Vel, Lisa Campeau, Martin Shoemaker, Natalia Baird, Patricia Kiyono, Rosanne Bittner, and WKTV Managing Editor K.D. Norris — that others also will be inspired as well.
“I hope people don’t read the word ‘romance’ and let that scare them,” Lloyd said. “There really is something in there for just about everyone: sweet, inspirational, spicy.
“I also hope Michigan residents, or at least people in the Grand Rapids area, will check it out and learn what our writer’s group is about and learn about some of our local writers.”
“Lost and Found” is available through Amazon. For more information about the GRRWG, visit the organization’s Facebook page.
Grand Rapids’ Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, along with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University, continue to offer virtual programs this month.
The next program, available via Zoom meeting, will be “Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead”, a virtual book talk with Gen. James M. Mattis (Ret.) — a retired U.S. Marine officer, U.S. Secretary of State, and now book author — on Wednesday, April 21, starting at 7 p.m.
To register for this free event, including on the day of, visit here.
Following the talk by Gen. Mattis, on Thursday, April 22, Prof. H.W. Brands will offer a virtual talk “John Brown and Abraham Lincoln and the Struggle for Freedom”, based on Brands’ recent book “The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown and Abraham Lincoln and the Struggle for Freedom”. The talk will begin at 7 p.m.
To register for this free event, including on the day of, visit here.
A general talks leadership, in war and peace
“Call Sign Chaos”, according to supplied material, is the account of Gen. Mattis’s storied career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East.
James H. Mattis (Ford Presidential Museum)
Along the way, Mattis recounts his “foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of war-fighting and peacemaking,” the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas and short-sighted thinking now facing our nation.
“He makes it clear why America must return to a strategic footing so as not to continue winning battles but fighting inconclusive wars,” the supplied material states.
Call Sign Chaos is a memoir of a life of war-fighting and lifelong learning, following along as Mattis rises from Marine recruit to four-star general. It is a journey about learning to lead and a story about how he, through constant study and action, developed a unique leadership philosophy, one relevant to us all.
‘The Zealot and the Emancipator’
“The Zealot and the Emancipator” is acclaimed historian H. W. Brands’s account of “how two American giants shaped the war for freedom,” according to supplied material.
John Brown was a charismatic and deeply religious man who heard the God of the Old Testament speaking to him, telling him to destroy slavery by any means. When Congress opened Kansas territory to slavery in 1854, Brown raised a band of followers to wage war. Three years later, Brown and his men assaulted the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, hoping to arm slaves with weapons for a race war that would cleanse the nation of slavery.
Brown’s violence pointed ambitious Illinois lawyer and former officeholder Abraham Lincoln toward a different solution to slavery: politics.
Lincoln spoke cautiously and dreamed big, plotting his path back to Washington and perhaps to the White House. Yet his caution could not protect him from the vortex of violence Brown had set in motion. After Brown’s arrest, his righteous dignity on the way to the gallows led many in the North to see him as a martyr to liberty. Southerners responded with anger and horror to a terrorist being made into a saint.
Lincoln, Brands argues, “shrewdly threaded the needle between the opposing voices of the fractured nation and won election as president. But the time for moderation had passed, and Lincoln’s fervent belief that democracy could resolve its moral crises peacefully faced its ultimate test” — the Civil War.
For more information on the Ford Museum’s scheduled of events, visit here. For more information on the museum, visit here.
