Iconic glittery red shoes, Judy Garland’s famous rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and the classic story down the yellow brick road will fill Tibbits’ big screen on April 10 at 4 p.m. when the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz” is presented as part of the Community-Sponsored Programming.
Starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley and Margaret Hamilton, the film favorite is based on the 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum. Rated PG, this movie is fun for the entire family. After a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog Toto are swept away to the magical and vibrant land of Oz. In order to find their way back home, they must embark on a journey to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz. On their way there, they befriend a Scarecrow who longs for a brain, a Tin Man who desires a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who seeks courage. The group is hopeful that the ‘Great Oz’ will be able to fulfill their wishes. Not far behind them is the Wicked Witch of the West, who is out for revenge after Dorothy’s house fell on and killed her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East.
Sponsored by the Tibbits Opera House Endowment – Children’s Programming Fund, this screening is the fourth installment of Community-Sponsored Programming. For those who have always wanted to see a certain movie on the big screen or have their band play on the historic stage, Tibbits is still offering the opportunity for community members to plan and sponsor their own public performance at a fraction of the normal rental price.
The theatre doors, general admission seating, and concession sales for “The Wizard of Oz” begin at 3:30pm with donations at the door. Due to current restrictions, seating for all events is limited and masks are required upon entering and when moving about the theatre.
For more information or to purchase tickets for upcoming events, visit Tibbits.org, stop in at Tibbits business offices at 93 W. Chicago St., Coldwater, or call 517.278.6029. The historic Tibbits Opera House is located at 14 S. Hanchett St., Coldwater.
A year’s worth of activities, special events and activities focused on northern Michigan and one-time summer resident Ernest Hemingway is planned for the Village of Walloon Lake throughout 2021. Walloon Lake is nestled between Boyne City and Petoskey just off US-131 in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties.
The first large program is Walloon Lake Reads: The Nick Adams Stories which kicks off on Thursday, April 1 and runs through mid-May. A Hemingway Birthday Celebration is also planned for Wednesday, July 21 (Ernest was born on this date in 1899) with a handful of family-friendly events. Labor Day weekend, September 3-6, will be the primary Hemingway Homecoming featuring the unveiling of historical installations downtown focused on Hemingway as well as other aspects of the village’s development and growth at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth century – like early rail travel, hotels and resorts, boating and more.
Various businesses in town, specifically Hotel Walloon, Walloon Lake Inn and Barrel Back Restaurant, are showcasing various foods and beverages throughout the year in honor of Hemingway’s passion for such things. Themed lodging packages will also focus on activities that the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author enjoyed – like fly fishing.
Ernest Hemingway was just three months old when he made his first trip from his hometown of Oak Park, IL to Walloon Lake where his parents – Clarence and Grace (Hall) – had purchased property along the North Shore. Ernest spent time every summer until 1922 at the family’s beloved Windemere cottage there, the simple cottage still owned by descendants today. The woods and waters in and around Walloon Lake shaped Hemingway’s life in many ways and it was a place he always held dear to his heart. It was here that his 1972 posthumously published book, The Nick Adams Stories, is primarily set.
The Village of Walloon Lake has also launched a website at WalloonLakeMi.com to provide information to locals and visitors alike throughout the year and beyond. An official Village Facebook page also provides regular updates and historical tidbits at Facebook.com/WalloonLakeMi.
The Honolulu House in Marshall Michigan. Picture taken in 1965. (Public Domain)
By Bill Mabin Marshall Historical Society
The Honolulu House Museum, 107 N. Kalamazoo Ave., Marshall, will open for the 2021 season on Saturday, April 3.
The museum will be open weekends only during April. Beginning in May, it will be open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. Operating hours are 12-4 p.m.
A free Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for Sunday, April 4, on the museum grounds. Participation is limited to 25 children at each of three sessions at 2, 2:30 and 3 p.m. Registration is required and can be done by calling 269-719-0546 or by messaging Marshall Historical Society on Facebook. When registering, please indicate the desired time and number of children participating. Masks are required for all participants and visitors during the Easter Egg Hunt.
Adult admission for a museum tour is $10. This cost also includes admission to the Marshall Historical Museum at the GAR Hall, 402 E. Michigan Ave. Coupons will be issued for future GAR admission since that museum will not open until May. There is no museum admission charge for children age 12 and under and for Marshall Historical Society members.
Tour groups are limited to eight people. Masked are required. Social distancing is expected.
The Honolulu House Museum stands at the heart of Marshall’s National Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic American Buildings Survey. The house was built in 1860 for the first U.S. consul to the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands. Constructed of Marshall sandstone, the building is a wonderful blend of Italianate, Gothic Revival and Polynesian architecture. The Marshall Historical Society has restored the building’s interior to its 1880s elegance that features decorative wall and ceiling paintings.
The Honolulu House is the headquarters of the Marshall Historical Society which has operated the building as a museum since 1961. For more information, visit www.marshallhistoricalsociety.org.
Part of the spring break fun at the Grand Rapids Public Museum will be the food truck ART:Caribean Fusion Cuisine.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) has announced its spring break plans which will include live science shows, intriguing exhibits and planetarium shows, as well as festive food experience featuring a food truck from ART: Caribbean Fusion Cuisine along with an assortment of beverages and beer from City Built Brewing Company.
“For families enjoying a staycation for Spring Break or for those visiting Grand Rapids, the Museum offers a family fun-filled experience with exciting exhibits, science shows and more to keep kids learning while having fun,” said Kate Kocienski, the GRPM’s Vice President of Marketing & PR. “Our offerings cater to visitors of all ages and we’re eager to welcome everyone to the Museum to enjoy engaging activities in a low-risk environment.”
Explore larger-than-life sculptures made with more than 2 million LEGO® bricks in Sean Kenney’s Wild Connections Made with LEGO® Bricks to learn about animal endangerment, the balance of ecosystems, and mankind’s relationship with nature. This exhibition, produced by Imagine Exhibitions, depicts important topics that artist Sean Kenney holds dear, from protecting an animals’ habitat, to planting a garden, or using a bike instead of a car. Wild Connections further shows that just as LEGO® pieces interconnect, everything in nature is interconnected in a delicate balance. The narratives, along with the intricate displays, also explore the importance of conservation, the balance of ecosystems, predator/prey relationships, as well as the relationships between humankind and the natural world. This exhibition is open for a limited time. Tickets to Wild Connections must be purchased with general admission to the Museum.
“Bee” in “Sean Kenney’s Wild Connections Made with LEGOs” at the Grand Rapids Public Museum through May 2. (Supplied)
Additionally with general admission, analyze fossils from the last Ice Age in the Under the Arctic exhibit to learn about permafrost, as well as the people and the animals that live in this area, experience historic Grand Rapids made with LEGO® bricks and journey through three floors of core exhibits, with visitors favorites, West Michigan Habitats and the Streets of Old Grand Rapids. Advance ticket purchase required; early ticket purchase is recommended, as tickets will sell out given capacity limits. Visit grpm.org to purchase tickets.
The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium’s spring break shows will take place four times a day and include: Incoming!, Under Starlit Skies, Escher’s Universe, One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure and The Queen Light Show From Mercury to Mars. Planetarium shows are $4 with general admission to the Museum, $2 for Museum members, and $5 for planetarium only. Visit grpm.org/Planetarium for a complete list of showtimes and descriptions.
Visitors are required to reserve advance tickets at grpm.org for quick, easy access into the Museum during Spring Break. Kent County residents receive reduced admission to the GRPM, thanks to the passing of a Kent County millage in 2016, including free general admission for Kent County children 17 and under! Kent County adults and seniors receive reduced pricing as well as free parking.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced that its Camp Curious summer programs are now open for registration. The Museum will offer in-person, small group camps, as well as virtual Digital Discovery sessions for kids to explore the wonders of science, history, culture and more.
Kids pre-K through 12th grade will use the Museum as a learning lab through a variety of camp offerings, beginning June 14 and are available through mid-August, 2021.
“We’re excited to offer a mixture of in person camps as well as Digital Discovery sessions to the community this year,” said Rob Schuitema, the GRPM’s Director of Public Programs. “Both opportunities will provide students with the tools and guidance they need to have fun while learning and making genuine connections to the curriculum and the Museum. As always, our team is thrilled to share their expertise and enthusiasm for science, history and culture with the next cohort of curious minds this summer.”
Camp Curious offers single day or multiple day camps and are available by the grade level students will be entering in the fall. Popular camps include Slimy Science, Fossil Hunters, Dream it, Build it with LEGO® Bricks and Young Wizards Academy. New, in-person camps this year include River Critters, Adaptations & Pollinators, Fun Tech and River Explorers.
Digital Discovery Sessions encourage campers to explore and investigate through hands-on experiments and activities, while using common items in their homes as well as artifacts and specimens in the GRPM’s digital Collections. New this year, Stargazers gives students the opportunity to explore the wonders of the universe by learning how to navigate Stellarium, an open-source software that will bring the power of the planetarium to their home. Other virtual offerings include Slimy Science, Time Travelers, Dream it, Build it with LEGO® Bricks, Wizards Academy and the Grand Photo Project.
Digital Discovery sessions will require access to the internet and the use of a device to watch presentations and receive daily instructions. These sessions will utilize the virtual platform SeeSaw, with most activities taking place off-line. Digital Discovery sessions are designed for campers to do projects independently; the Museum recommends that parents of young children (1st – 3rd grade) be present. Digital Discovery session supplies include common items from around your home, and can be interchangeable based on what campers have access to. Recommended lists can be found at grpm.org/EduClasses.
Pricing for camps vary, starting as low as $35 for single day, in person camps and $40 for multi-day Digital Discovery sessions, with discounts available for Museum members. For more information on Camp Curious and Digital Discovery Sessions and to register today, visit grpm.org/Educlasses. Early registration is highly recommended, as camps will sell out.
The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo (ACGK) is excited to announce the return of in-person Art Hop in downtown Kalamazoo on Friday, April 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. This free outdoor event will feature local artists and downtown businesses showcased in booths along Bates Alley and the South Kalamazoo Mall.
After a year of virtual Art Hops, the Arts Council is looking forward to bringing the community together in a safe, socially-distanced outdoor space. Guests can grab drinks within the Downtown Social District to sip, stroll, and enjoy locally made art. DJ Todd Brown will be providing live music entertainment. The event will follow all COVID-19 guidelines in compliance with the state of Michigan.
The Arts Council’s Programs Director, Bianca Washington-Ciungan, announced, “I am so excited to safely return to an in-person Art Hop. I am grateful that we have been able to present a virtual option successfully, but there’s nothing like being able to support our artists and businesses in a face-to-face fashion.”
Participating businesses include Honor Credit Union, Fuze Kitchen and Bar, Green Top Tavern, Kalamazoo Candle Company, V & A Bootery, Cherri’s Chocol’art, Colors & Cocktails, and MRC ArtWorks. Local artists that will be showing their work in-person include Kevin Hamman, Alexa Karabin, Jonathan Wijnberg, and Amy Lou Gieschen as well as many more.
For those who are not able to attend in-person, the Arts Council’s website will have a virtual gallery featuring work by local artists, and a three-part artist spotlight interview series with Alexa Karabin, Linda Rzoska, and Pam Kirkham. Additionally, the Stulberg International String Competition will be livestreaming its virtual Bravo! concert at 7 p.m. The Arts Council is also celebrating the launch of its new Art Hop app, allowing the event to go paperless just in time for Earth Day. The app serves as a guide to all things Art Hop and can be downloaded as a shortcut icon through any smartphone web browser at www.kalamazooarthop.org. Art Hop would not be possible without the support of the ACGK’s generous program sponsors, LKF Marketing, Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs, Dorothy U Dalton Foundation, Marvin and Rosalie Okun Foundation, KalBlue, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, D.L. Gallivan Office Solutions, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
After last year’s successful run of the “BRICKLIVE Animal Paradise” — despite a pandemic — the John Ball Zoo will have what some might consider a part two with tis “BRICKLIVE Supersized!” exhibition.
Opening this Saturday when the Zoo officials kicks off its season, “BRICKLIVE Supersized!” will feature more than 30 sculptures created with nearly two million toy bricks. The sculptures supersize some of nature’s smallest and mightiest creatures.
For example, the small and new Bornean neon blue-legged tarantula is a recently discovered species in nature that fits in the palm of a hand, but with “BRICKLIVE Supersized!,” it is magnified 84 times, standing 12 feet tall.
The brightly-colored common kingfisher, which is small and territorial in real life, is magnified more than 30 times to a towering 11 feet tall toy brick sculpture. (Supplied)
From the small and stinky honey badger to the small and highly venomous blue-ringed octopus, all creatures have been chosen for their colorful appearance in nature, unusual natural abilities, and because they can be magnified to an eye-popping size.
As guests make their way through John Ball Zoo, they will discover more about these often misunderstood creatures, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, insects, mammals, and marine species that are truly small and mighty in nature.
Each sculpture will have educational signage featuring facts about where the animal lives in the world, what they eat, and their real-life size, along with how magnified the sculpture is, how many toy bricks were used, the amount of time and the number of builders it took to create.
“BRICKLIVE Supersized!” will be on display at John Ball Zoo through Sept. 26 and is included with general admission.
Admission prices for the Zoo’s spring season is $10 for seniors and children (ages 3-12) and $12 per adult. Children aged 2 and under are free. Spring hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To reserve timed entry tickets and for more information, visit John Ball Zoo’s website at www.jbzoo.org/visitandtickets. If you have any questions, call 616-336-4300 or email info@jbzoo.org.
The beauty of the blue-ringed octopus, which is the world’s smallest and highly venomous octopus, can be seen in the BRICKLIVE “Supersized!” exhibit at John Ball Zoo. (Supplied)
“There are thousands of butterflies from all around the world flying right here in Grand Rapids,” said Horticulturalist Laurel Gaut.
The theme of the 2021 butterfly exhibition is “Into the Glass House.” A glass container known as a Wardian case provides the viewer with a close up look at specimens. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
Visitors tour through the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory, a 15,000-square-foot space filled with tropical plants, vibrant foliage, and a balmy atmosphere.
More than 60 species of butterflies reside within the space. More than 1,000 pupae are shipped to the Meijer Gardens weekly from as far away as Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Philippines, and Kenya.
The theme of the 2021 butterfly exhibition is “Into the Glass House.” A glass container known as a Wardian case provides the viewer with a close up look at specimens.
The exhibit runs through April 30. Members can attend the exhibit for free, while students and children receive a discount. For more information about the butterfly exhibition, visit www.meijergardens.org
The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) announced today the return of its biannual celebration and competition, Art in Bloom(March 19-21). For one-weekend-only, visitors are invited to explore the galleries and view floral designs inspired by artwork from the Museum’s permanent collection.
Art in Bloom highlights the creativity of West Michigan’s most talented floral designers. The arrangements will be presented alongside the artwork in GRAM’s Level 3 galleries, where guests can cast their vote for their favorite floral arrangement for the selection of the Public Vote Winner.
“The Grand Rapids Art Museum is thrilled to kick off the spring season withArt in Bloom,” commented GRAM Communications Manager Elizabeth Payne. “We look forward to welcoming guests to GRAM’s galleries and encourage everyone to participate in a weekend of floral-inspired fun through our in-person and virtual experiences.”
The 2021 Art in Bloom line-up features 15 floral designers and their interpretation of 15 works from the Museum’s collection—with artwork spanning a wide range of painting, sculpture, mixed-media, and design.
Art in Bloom entries will be eligible for two awards: The Public Vote Award and Juried Award. A panel comprised of floral and art experts from the Grand Rapids community will select the Juried Award Winner, which will be announced on Friday, March 22 at 2 pm. The three-day exhibition and competition include a floral-focused schedule of in-person and virtual offerings.
Weekend Schedule:
Friday, March 19
Public Hours: 12 – 6 pm, Level 3 Galleries
Juried Winner Announcements: 2 pm, Virtual via Facebook Live
Floral Design Demonstration with Fleurology Designs: 4:30 – 5 pm, Virtual via Facebook Live
Sunday, March 21
Member Hours: 10 am – 12 pm, Level 3
Public Hours: 12– 6 pm, Level 3
Public Voting Closes: 1:30 pm
Public Vote Winner Announcement: 2 pm, Virtual via Facebook Live
Visitors are encouraged to reserve timed tickets to Art in Bloom in advance and view the Museum’s health and safety guidelines before visiting. GRAM’s guidelines include face mask requirements, reduced capacity, social distancing measures, regular cleaning and sanitization efforts, and more. For GRAM’s hours and admission fees, call 616.831.1000 or visit artmuseumgr.org.
The South Haven HarborFest has made the announcement that the 2021 event has been cancelled.
According to a press release, after an enormous amount of thought, including discussions with community leaders, the decision was made to cancel this year’s event.
“While trends in terms of the COVID infection rates are encouraging and regional vaccination programs are ramping up, we feel there are still too many unknowns and uncertainties with the ever changing restrictions and guidelines to allow us to proceed forward in safety hosting our wonderful event,” according to a press release from the committee.
The South Haven HarborFest usually takes place in June. The committee said it is working on the 2022 event.
W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary hosts Wild Wednesdays designed just for kids.
By Cara Barnes W.K. Kellogg Biological Station
The trails at the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary will have a new storyline for families this spring, though a partnership with the Richland Community Library.
Starting this month, pages from a storybook will be posted along the Sanctuary’s paved path for families to read as they walk. There also will be self-guided activities that complement the story’s themes and a reading list at the Richland Community Library to learn even more and practice reading skills.
The stories and activities will be updated every two months and are open to all during normal operating hours with the cost of admission (free to members).
Story themes March-April—Owls! Story title: “Whobert Whover, Owl Detective,” written by Jason Gallaher, illustrations by Jess Pauwels. Activities: Scavenger hunt, owl facts near Birds of Prey area. Take home: Owl coloring pages.
May-June—Frogs! Story title: “Jump, Frog, Jump!” written by Robert Kalan, illustrations by Byron Barton. Activities: Frog life cycle facts by the water garden and more. Take home: Frog life cycle wheel.
Contact the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary at birdsanctuary@kbs.msu.edu or (269) 671-2510 for more information.
It is often said by people in the local live music business that their venues, small and large, were the first to close when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and will likely be the last to fully reopen.
While the stage door was cracked open a little early this month when the state allowed venues to open at a reduced capacity, and the continued decrease in pandemic statistics and the rapidly increasing number of people getting the COVID-19 vaccines give even more hope, a sampling of local venues offer few gigs planned in the short term.
The now quiet and empty Pyramid Scheme concert room. (Pyramid Scheme Facebook)
“We do not plan to book any live music indoors until capacity limits are higher,” Tami VandenBerg, co-owner of Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids, said to WKTV. But she, like many in the industry, holds hope for later in the year — “The shows still booked for spring will very likely be moved to fall.”
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s outdoor amphitheater, and news of its its usual Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens and Tuesday Evening Music Club, are still quiet these days. But they too, are optimistically looking toward later in the year.
“We are working hard behind the scenes to be able to safely present live music at the Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater during the summer and/or early fall of 2021,” John VanderHaagen, director of communications at Meijer Gardens, said to WKTV. “Current capacity restrictions are 1,000 for outdoor venues and we are hoping that as the numbers of vaccinated folks increases and cases fall, those restrictions will continue to be adjusted.”
The bottomline, VanderHaagen said, is that “guest safety remains our top priority and we will not present a series until that can be done safely in accordance to all local, state and national guidelines.”
State restrictions and guidelines, and local reaction
On March 2, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) updated two of its epidemic orders, among other things allowing for increased capacity limits at various entertainment venues. The changes went into effect March 5.
Those changes impacting entertainment venues included now allowing indoor entertainment venues to be at 50 percent capacity, up to 300 people; indoor stadiums and arenas are allowed have 375 if seating capacity is under 10,000, and 750 if seating capacity is over 10,000; and outdoor entertainment and recreational facilities have a capacity of 1,000.
“We continue to monitor the data closely, and based on current trends we are taking another step toward normalcy,” Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director, said in the March 2 announcement.
One state change in restrictions and guidelines which is also impacting local entertainment venues is allowed restaurants and bars to increase to 50 percent capacity up to 100 people and now allowing them to be open to 11 p.m.
For one, the Listening Room live music venue, known as a music-focused club, has opened with an adaptation.
Jazz night at the Listening Room with members of the Robin Connell Trio, from January 2020. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“We currently have live jazz from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, though it’s not as much of a (strictly music) show” as usual, Quinn Mathews, general manager of Listening Room, said to WKTV. “We partnered with our restaurant downstairs to serve dinner up in Listening Room during the live music.”
But, Mathews added, “we’ll do an outdoor concert series this spring and summer as well in the piazza here at Studio Park … (and) touring artists are confirming for the fall, so — fingers crossed — Listening Room will be back doing shows by fall.”
The fact that most venues are, in fact, awaiting national touring groups to begin feeling comfortable touring to set up local fall schedules was echoed by several venue spokespersons.
Promoting a new book during a global pandemic is no picnic. Yet young adult author Brittany Cavallaro takes the challenge in stride.
With the release of her latest novel, Muse, Cavallaro has hit the road and made a number of public appearances, including a recent speaking event at Schuler’s Books & Music Store in Kentwood. Although Cavallaro misses attending larger in-person conferences and conventions, she has also enjoyed connecting with her audience in a whole new way through online meetings.
Based out of Michigan, Cavallaro receives inspiration from teaching creative writing to young people at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. She encourages her students to explore their interests and write the topics that grab their attention, even if it means researching everything from female fighter pilots to 18th century American politics.
Muse takes this exploratory approach and turns the audience’s expectations of a work of historical fiction work. The World Fair of 1893 serves as a prominent setting in the novel, and the American government is reimagined as a monarchy.
Beyond Muse, Cavallaro’s work includes the Charlotte Holmes books, a quartet which portrays Sherlock Holmes’ great-great-great granddaughter, Charlotte, solving mysteries.
The Muskegon Lakeshore Restaurant Week 2021 is back beginning Friday, March 19, through Saturday, March 27, with area restaurants supplying a wide range of food specials for both dine-in and take-out customers.
Sponsored by Cumulus Media radio stations 98.3 WLCS; V-100 WVIB; Sunny 92.5; and NASH Icon WLAW – “the Muskegon Lakeshore Restaurant Week allows dining spots throughout Muskegon to show-off what they can do best”, said Rich Berry, Director of Sales for Cumulus Media – Muskegon.
“With Covid 19 altering our lives for the past year, we waited for what we thought was the best time for everyone to feel like it is safe to frequent their favorite restaurants,” Berry explained. “Governor Whitmer has expanded the number of people who can dine in to 50% capacity and the weather is starting to get nice. Vaccinations are also happening. People are becoming more comfortable with getting out or doing take-out.”
At this time 12 area restaurants and possibly several more will be participating. “We put this together very quickly,” said Berry. “We were constantly polling restaurants, asking them when they thought we should do it. About three weeks ago, several said that now was the time.”
The Muskegon Lakeshore Restaurant Week began in 2014 and was originally held in November. In 2020, it was moved to late February, right before the Covid 19 outbreak in mid-March.
Here is a list of the participating restaurants: • Walker’s Restaurant • Dr. Rolf’s Barbecue • Hamburger Mikey • The Glenside Pub • Smash Wine Bar & Bistro • Pub 111 • Soul Filled Eatery • Hearthstone Bistro • Lake House Waterfront Grille • The Northside Pub • Pizza Ranch • IHOP
Magic City Egg Fest event organizers have announced the barbecue festival will be held on Saturday, August 21, 2021. The Magic City Egg Fest, a culinary competition and barbecue festival for enthusiasts of the Big Green Egg, the world’s most popular kamado-style outdoor grill, oven, and smoker, began in June 2019 in the Village of Colon. In its first year, 15 culinary barbecue teams competed in three rounds of cooking, preparing ribs, chicken, and pizzas for hungry crowds of more than 440 who attended the inaugural event.
“Last year’s event was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic but we are confident the event will move ahead this year and we are beyond thrilled that all the teams and sponsors remained committed to the event.”, said Taylor.
Egg fests occur throughout the nation but the Magic City Egg Fest remains the only Egg Fest in the state of Michigan
The number of culinary teams will more than double this year with the addition of a corn hole tournament, celebrity judges and cooking demonstrations. Prizes, trophies and bragging rights will be awarded to the top three teams in each of the three categories, as well as an all-around “Taster’s Choice Award” voted by the attendees to the event for the best all-around team. Attendees to the event purchase advanced tasting tickets for $10.00 or $15.00 at the door and can sample the culinary creations from any of the competing teams. Culinary teams can sign up for the event at www.magiccityeggfest.com.
The newly announced date for the 2nd Annual Magic City Egg Fest is August 21, 2021. Teams and individuals who purchased tickets for the 2020 cancelled event can use their tickets for this year’s event.
“We are delighted to support and sponsor this outstanding community event and for such a worthy cause,” said Luke Cook, event sponsor and Manager of BMC, the owner and operator of three Ace Hardware stores in Hastings, Byron Center, and Midtown Kalamazoo. “We are all looking forward to gathering as a community this summer.”
Rose, Ruby and Willow are ready to meet their adorning fans which will be soon as the John Ball Zoo prepares for its opening day, March 27.
The zoo’s season officially kicks off at 9 a.m. that day with admission tickets going on sale starting this Friday, March 12, for opening day, through April 11.
The red panda triplets, Rose, Ruby, and Willow, are three of the most anticipated animals for guests to see this season, according to zoo officials. Born June 25, 2020, the three were growing and bonding behind the scenes last season and were out of the view of guests. The three are now romping and playing outside for everyone to enjoy along with their parents, Wyatt and Wasabi.
Also making a debut is Yoshi, a Canadian lynx born last May. While Yoshi may not look like a kitten anymore, she still has the same playful and energetic spirit that makes her a guest favorite.
Guest favorite Yosi, a Canadian Lynx, will be making an appearance during opening day. (Supplied/John Ball Zoo)
Many of the John Ball Zo’s animals are active and playful in the cool spring weather, while others prefer to stay inside until warmer temperatures arrive. There are a number of viewing opportunities for guest in the Aquarium, Natural Teasures, Frog’s buildings, and the chimpanzees in their day room.
Also on opening day, John Ball Zoo will offer a sneak peek into the SUPERSIZED exhibition. This exhibition supersizes nature’s small and mighty. From sneaky predators such as the fearless honey badger to the venomous blue-ringed octopus, the more than 30 toy brick sculptures are featured because of their colorful appearance in nature, unusual natural ability, and because they can be magnified to an eye-popping size.
John Ball Zoo will be operating at a limited guest capacity. Guests should reserve an online timed-entry ticket to secure their visit time. Tickets will be available at the zoo but immediate entry is not guaranteed. Spring hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Following the regulations of the State of Michigan and the Centers for Disease Control, all guess ages 5 and older will be required to wear a mask at all times and everywhere in John Ball Zoo, including outdoor spaces. Guests may remove their mask temporarily to eat or drink when at a safe distance from others.
Social distancing will be encouraged and additional hand washing and sanitizing stations will be available along with cashless transactions and monitoring the number of guests inside buildings.
To reserve timed entry tickets and for more information, visit John Ball Zoo’s website at www.jbzoo.org/visitandtickets. For questions, call 616-336-4300 or email info@jbzoo.org.
Auditions. It was a word we thought we would never hear again, yet today Circle Theater announced it would hold auditions for its summer season.
“We are thrilled to be able to finally welcome back our wonderful community of actors, said Circle Theatre Executive and Artistic Director Lynne Brown-Tepper. “We are excited to hold auditions again after so many months of the Theatre being dark. We know that everyone is looking forward to doing what we all love in the place that we all love.
“After all, the Grand Rapids theater community is more that just a community — It’s a family and we have been waiting for this time, when we can all be together again.”
Through March 14, Circle Theatre will be hosting virtual auditions for three of its upcoming productions, ‘The Gin Game” and ‘Always…Patsy Cline.” These two will be Circle On the Lawn productions with the shows being performed on a stage set up on the Circle Theatre lawn.
Virtual auditions for “Cabaret”” will take place through March 28. In July, Circle Theatre will move back into its main stage with “Cabaret.”
“While we are disappointed that we will not be able to produce the first three originally planned productions, we are thrilled to be able to offer some new opportunities for performers of a variety of ages, with an emphasis on casting performers of color,” Tepper said.
“The Gin Game,” the winner of the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, brings audiences along for a game of wits, as Weller Martin and Fonsia Dorsey meet on the porch of their nursing home and strike up a friendship. Weller teaches Fonsia how to play gin rummy and they share stories of their lives. That is until Fonsia keeps winning every hand and the gin games become a battleground.
“Always…Patsy Cline” is a tribute to the legendary country singer who died at the age of 30 in a plane crash in 1963. The story is based on Cline’s real-life friendship with one of her fans, Louise Seger.
Winner of 12 Tony Awards, “Cabaret” is one of the most recognized musicals in the world. The story, set in 1931 Berlin, focuses on the nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around American writer Cliff Bradshaw and his relationship with cabaret performer Sally Bowles.
The West Michigan Jazz Society will host a Facebook live “Speaking of Jazz with WMJS” discussion, “Women in Jazz Roundtable”, Wednesday, March 3, starting at 8 p.m.
The conversation will be hosted by guest moderator Crystal Rebone, and will feature Lisa Sung, Robin Connell, Kaleigh Wilder, Sharon Cho and Cristina Smith.
“Speaking of Jazz with WMJS”, according to supplied materials is “focused on providing insights into the lives and careers of jazz musicians in our region, and also nationally.”
(Additionally, pianist Connell, with guest Paul Brewer, will live stream a special piano jazz concert at St Cecilia Music Center on March 11, starting at 8 p.m. Visit here for more information.)
Several popular summer events have announced that they will return this summer such as Grand Rapids’ Festival of the Arts. Saugatuck Center for the Arts’ Mason Street Warehouse also has announced it summer season.
But first, we start with an event in March.
“Bee” in “Sean Kenney’s Wild Connections Made with LEGOs” at the Grand Rapids Public Museum through May 2. (Supplied)
Grand Rapids Public Museum
Artist Sean Kenney of the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s current exhibit “Sean Kenney’s Wild Connections Made with LEGO Bricks” will be the guest speaker during a March 14GRPM Facebook live presentation.
The 1 p.m. event will feature Kenney sharing his experience as a professional artist working with LEGO bricks, a behind-the-scenes tour of his studio space and will conclude with Kenny answering questions submitted by viewers in real time.
“I look forward to meeting with members of the GRPM community, and sharing my thoughts on the process of how we bring these sculptures to life,” Kenney said.
“Wild Connections,” featuring several LEGO sculptures created by Kenney, will run through May 2.
The 2021Festival of the Arts will feature Plein Air performances June 4 – 6. (Supplied)
Festival of the Arts
In February, Festival of the Arts announced it would return this June with a different format.
Plein Air will take place June 4 – 6 and will feature artists creating landscape portraits as well as musicians performing throughout the city. Participants are encouraged to pick up their favorite food item from one of the many area restaurants and then come to one of the social zones featuring an artist. The regional art show will be virtual.
In the fall, Festival of the Arts will partner with ArtPrize to host a stage at Calder along with the Festival’s artisan market, featuring local artists and their works. The fall event will take place Sept. 17 – 19.
Saugatuck Center for the Arts announces its summer season. (Supplied)
Saugatuck Center for the Arts
Saugatuck Center for the Arts announced there will be live theater this summer at Mason Street Warehouse.
“Last summer’s outdoor concerts and films were a fantastic dress rehearsal for this summer,” said SCA Executive Director Kristin Armstrong. “So we converted our parking lot into a flexible, multi-purpose plaza. We’re now able to host theatre, concerts, markets, classes, special events — and still park on it when needed. Guest will have a fresher, much lovelier experience in the reimagined space.”
Stamm noted that the outdoor plaza stage is smaller than the indoor theater stage. This year guests will see original sets, unique lighting design, and bold costumes during all of the shows. Live musicians will accompany the musical productions.
Three productions will be staged at the renovated outdoor plaza with participants encouraged to bring their own chairs. The season starts June 30 with “Shout! The Mod Musical.” “Dixie’s Tupperware Party” is in July and “Just Too Big! Songs from Broadway Blockbusters” is in August. There will be two Cabaret-series shows, “The Big Red Show!” Sept. 4 and The Best Bad Idea Sept. 16.
The stage lights at Cornwell’s Dinner Theatre will have been dark for over a year by the time May 14 arrives, which will be opening night for the venue’s 35th season of Broadway plays and musicals.
“The pandemic has been hard on us all,” says Patti Cornwell, whose family has owned and operated Cornwell’s Turkeyville USA for over 50 years on their 400-acre farm, “but we put the time to good use. I am very excited for everyone to meet our new Producing Artistic Director, Dexter Brigham, and see the wonderful new shows he is bringing to our stage.”
Dexter joins the Cornwell’s team from Midland Center for the Arts, where he served as the Director of Theatre Programs for the past eight years. He has 18 years of experience as a theatre producer and director, including twelve seasons as the founder and artistic director of Festival 56, Illinois’ largest summer theatre festival. Prior to becoming a producer, Dexter was an actor for many years. Among his many roles, you may have seen him come through Miller Auditorium as Fred Petruchio on the Broadway national tour of Kiss Me, Kate, or understudying Percy in the national tour of The Scarlet Pimpernel. He and his wife, Laura, have two young boys, Cullen and Jack.
“I’m so excited to get started. I can’t wait to welcome the Cornwell’s audiences back to the farm, and into the theatre,” says Dexter. “It’s been way too long since we’ve been able to come together and enjoy a show, and we are working hard to make sure we can give everyone a safe and entertaining day in the country!”
When asked about his new role, Dexter comments, “I love everything about Cornwell’s: the warmth and intimacy of the venue, the incredible food, and having it all under the wide-open Michigan sky. Patti and I are in complete agreement that the shows on our stage are going be new, ambitious, and feature the very best talent we can hire from across the country.”
Kicking off the season on May 14 will be the bedroom farce, Right Bed, Wrong Husband, which follows a young man whose uncle holds the keys to his considerable inheritance. In order to have his allowance increased, he lies to his uncle about having a fiancée. But when the uncle arrives on his doorstep, he and his friends scramble to keep up the illusion!
On July 8, the musical adaptation of the gospel according to St. Matthew, Godspell, the first musical from the Grammy and Academy Award-winning songwriter behind Wicked and Pippin, Stephen Schwartz, will come to the Cornwell’s stage. A ragtag group of misfits help Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques and hefty doses of comic timing.
In the fall, opening Sept. 9, the songbook of Johnny Cash takes the stage in Ring of Fire. This unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and the healing power of home and family has entertained audiences around the world. More than two dozen classic hits—including “I Walk the Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and the title tune—paint a musical portrait of The Man in Black that promises to be a foot-stompin’, crowd-pleasin’ salute to a unique musical legend.
The final show of the season, Dashing Through the Snow, follows in the longstanding tradition of Cornwell’s musical holiday celebrations. When a family get stranded in a roadside motel lobby during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, they find themselves making unexpected friends and a whole lot of memories.
Season tickets for the 2021 season are now available. Ticket pricing and information can be found on the Cornwell’s website at turkeyville.com, or by calling 269-781-4293.
After almost a year of limited exhibitions and other art showcases, several local and regional art institutions have announced upcoming exhibits with a call to local, regional and national artists to participate.
Deadlines are fast approaching for all of these, so if you are interested, move quickly to get an application in.
UICA’s first exhibit will be in July. (Supplied)
UICA
The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts will host its first exhibit in its new space at 17 Pearl St. NW. Currently, UICA is accepting submissions for the “Whereabouts: the Influence of Place and Space.”
The exhibit will focus on three parts of the building, the lobby, the corridor, and the display cases. Artists are encouraged to create a dialog between the architecture of the building and work. For the cases, artists are encouraged to draw inspiration from the visual storytelling of department store window displays and dioramas. For specific guidelines, visit www.ucia.org.
Deadline for submissions is March 7 with artists being notified of acceptance by March 19.
Tulip Time’s Artisan Market will be virtual this year. (Supplied)
Tulip Time
This year, Tulip Time will be hosting a Virtual Artisan Market from April 24 – May 9. The decision was made to support the directives by the Centers for Disease control and State of Michigan, and with guidance from the Ottawa County Health Department.
Artists will have the opportunity get their items in front of thousands of people as the market will be featured on the Tulip Time website, Facebook and Instagram.
Artists interested in participating need to apply by Feb. 28. Those accepted will be notified by March 5. The booth fee is a $100 and must be paid by March 18. For more information, visit https://tuliptime.com/artisanmarket.
Ramsdell has a call to artists for its upcoming “Soul Sisters” exhibit. (Supplied)
Soul Sisters
With the success of its Stay Safe Face Mask Project and exhibit, Mainstee’s Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts has announced it will continue engaging local and regional artists with the exhibit “Soul Sisters.”
Curated by regional artists Lynn Willams and Mary Wahr, “Soul Sisters” is open to anyone how identifies as a woman.
“A soul sister is someone who accepts you — al of you. Let’s be united in our art” is the theme of the show, according to Wahr.
Entires are due by March 5. Up to two pieces of art can be submitted for a $20 fee. The exhibit launches on March 12 and runs through April 16. For more information, visit www.RamdellTheatre.org/SoutSisters-Exhibit.
The Lakeshore Art Festival will be June 26 and 27. (Supplied)
Lakeshore Art Festival
Muskegon’s Lakeshore Art Festival is accepting applications through Feb. 28 for its juried fine art and craft fair. The 2021 event will take place June 26 and 27 and brings in around 60,000 people featuring more than 300 fine art and craft exhibitors, 20 food vendors, children’s activities, street performers and art installations in downtown Muskegon.
Two fun-packed family weekends are happening March 20 and 21, and also March 27 and 28 at the Maple Syrup Festival at Maple Row Sugarhouse. Times are 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sundays.
Come enjoy a meal featuring delicious pancakes with lots of pure Michigan maple syrup. Wander the property to see baby farm animals and take a pony ride. This year’s festival will feature a French Colonial family that will reenact how they used to make maple syrup and maple sugar by hand. Watch maple syrup being made “live” the modern way in the sugarhouse.
Maple Row prides itself by being a locally owned family business that supplies pure Michigan maple syrup to area grocery stores and restaurants. For more information about the maple festival including times and location, and to browse through the many maple products offered, please visit the website at www.maplerowsugarhouse.com.
Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by Bill Barker of Monticello, speaks during a 2019 event at the U.S. Chamber Foundation in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Chamber Foundation YouTube)
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 “Bill Barker: President’s Day Celebration — Man and Legacy”, with Barker talking as Thomas Jefferson, on Thursday, Feb. 18, starting at 7:15 p.m.
To register for the free event, including on the day of, visit here.
In a description of Barker/Jefferson event, it is stated:
“In times of great strife, Americans have often looked to our nation’s founding fathers for guidance. In doing so, we inevitably address the paradoxes they posed. The same Thomas Jefferson who penned the idea that ‘all men are created equal’ in our Declaration of Independence, is the same founder who owned hundreds of slaves through the course of his life. How could this be, and what are the lessons to us today?
“To help us unpack these and other historically loaded questions, the Hauenstein Center, along with our partners at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and Library, welcomes Monticello’s William Barker back to Grand Rapids. Widely regarded as the nation’s foremost Thomas Jefferson interpreter, Barker joins us for a celebration of Presidents’ Day and for a conversation that plumbs our difficult past.”
Timely topic webinar coming later in February
Next up on the schedule will be a live webinar virtual event — “The Constitution, Elections, and Democracy” on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m.
In a description of this event, it is stated:
“January 6, 2021, served as the culmination of a series of issues left to fester: a global pandemic, racial injustice, and social and political divisions that continue to grow. Across the country, citizens continue to wonder how the world’s leading democracy can move forward and how, as a nation, we can begin to heal the pain and wounds created that fateful afternoon.”
In the first installment of the Presidential Roundtable series, with support from the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and other groups, Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, joins GVSU president Philomena V. Mantella and past GVSU presidents for a discussion that “probes our nation’s most revered document, the Constitution.”
For a list of more events hosted or co-hosted by the Ford Museum, visit here. For more information on the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, visit fordlibrarymuseum.gov.
St. Cecilia Music Center’s Michigan Folk and Blues Virtual Series 2021, a virtual extension of the Acoustic Café Folk Series, returns this week with the King Biscuit Trio performing on the Royce Auditorium stage and available Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m.
The performance is streaming free of charge on St. Cecilia’s Facebook and YouTube channels, and accessed through scmc-online.org.
King Biscuit Trio, according to supplied material, is a newly formed blues-based three-piece band “rooted in classic soul and great old rock n’ roll” that features a two-guitar, one-harmonica, tri-vocal approach to a “mixed bag of covers and original material.”
King Biscuit Trio is:
Chris Collins on lead vocals and guitar. He is also the lead singer and guitarist of the Thirsty Perch Blues Band, a West Michigan blues/rock staple for more than 10 years. For the past three years, Collins has been writing, recording, and performing with the Dr. Wu band of Fort Worth, Texas, according to supplied material. Dr. Wu features Buddy Washington, who spent 15 years with the great John Mayhall and the Blues Breakers.
Andy Ogrodzinski on lead guitar and backing vocals. He also plays guitar in the Thirsty Perch Blues Band, and plays gigs as a current member of the blues/rock/funk/reggae band The Kinsey Report, led by Donald Kinsey, well known for his years spent playing with Albert King, Peter Tosh, and Bob Marley.
Craig “Griff” Griffith on harmonica and vocals. He plays harmonica with The Verve Pipe and has been performing with the group for about 20 years. Griff was also the lead singer and harmonica player for the band Botfly throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s.
The King Biscuit Trio. (Supplied/SCMC)
Folk and Blue series continues
The Michigan Folk and Blues Virtual Series 2021 continues the partnership between St. Cecilia and the Acoustic Café radio show and its host Rob Reinhart, and will stretch into April.
The other free virtual concerts in the series include Rachel Davis and Dominic John Davis on March 25 (from their current home in Nashville), and Jen Sygit and Josh Rose on April 8 and back from the Royce Auditorium stage. The Kat Edmonson virtual concert on March 4 is also a free concert, also available on St. Cecilia’s Facebook and YouTube channel. But as an added attraction, Edmonson will be doing an interview with Reinhart as part of the Acoustic Café radio show.
For a complete list of all virtual concerts offered by St. Cecilia for home viewing, see scmc-online.org/virtual/.
Carla Grant and her grandson show off the masks they made for the “Stay Safe” exhibit.
By Nathan Slauer WKTV Intern
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many families find themselves hunkering down inside their homes. When new community events pop up, people leap at the chance to participate.
One such person is Carla Grant, a retired certified public accountant, who created two of the masks included in the “Stay Safe” mask exhibit hosted by Mainstee’s Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts (RRCA).
When Grant received her masks, she brought her grandson to Hobby Lobby and scoured the aisle for feathers and paint. Upon returning home, the pair had a blast putting together their colorful creations.
“My grandson is so excited to see his art in an exhibit,” Grant said.
A close up of the mask created by Carla Grant. (Supplied)
Grant’s masks join more than 300 paper mache masks created by hundreds of participants from across Michigan. The masks express the experience of those who lived through the global health crisis and yearned for a period of normalcy.
Each paper mache masks is left blank, so it is left up to the artist to decide what their mask should look like. No two masks in the collection share an identical appearance, with decorations ranging from pasted multidimensional objects to colored crayon.
The “Stay Safe” mask exhibit originated with Patricia Innis, an artist and volunteer director for Michigan Legacy Art Park (MLAP), in August 2020. As interest in the project grew, Innis established a collaboration between MLAP and RRCA.
Word of the “Stay Safe” mask exhibit has spread nationwide, with contributions coming from as far away as Minnesota, Colorado, and California.
MLAP Managing Director Madeline Saucedo attributes the success of the “Stay Safe” mask exhibit to the dedication of Innis and RRCA Executive Director Xavier Verna and the creativity of the participants. She believes the masks gave people the opportunity to connect with one another even while remaining physically distanced.
“You’re not alone in your experience; other people had similar experiences,” Saucedo said. “Their project created a sense of togetherness.”
For those who want to create their own mask, MLAP provides instructions via a How-To blog. The blog allows those who seek an outlet to connect to a community of fellow artistic enthusiasts.
Mainstee’s Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts received more than 300 masks for the “Stay Safe” exhibit, some came from as far away as California. (Supplied)
“It is an emotional experience to reflect on the year,” Saucedo said. “People were not able to do as much, so people took up new hobbies such as learning Spanish, crocheting, or knitting. Working on these types of activities can be cathartic.”
The “Stay Safe” mask exhibit is open for public viewing at RRCA during Friday and Saturday until February 27. Those seeking to view the exhibit virtually can attend a free online tour with Innis and Verna on Friday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m.
The Gilmore Car Museum is offering families a day full of outdoor winter fun — with attractions ranging from vintage snowmobiles to ice carving — at its all-new Winter Motoring Meet, set for Saturday, Feb. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
With the standard daily admission, guests will have full access to both outdoor activities and to the indoor car collection of over 400 vehicles. The Winter Motoring Meet will include “open-aired” scenic “sleigh” rides around the campus using several of the museum’s antique cars — including comfy seats in the bed of a Classic Ford Model AA pickup truck.
The event is “a fun way for us to get outside and enjoy the winter season, in an outdoor environment with plenty of room for everyone to remain socially distanced,” Josh Russell, executive director of the Gilmore Car Museum, said in supplied material.
Rides will be one guest/family/group per ride. Masks will be required and vehicle seating will be sanitized between each ride. All museum visitors ages 5 and over are required to wear face masks. All COVID-19 health procedures apply.
The Gilmore Car Museum is located at 6865 W Hickory Rd, Hickory Corners (north of Kalamazoo). For more information, visit GilmoreCarMuseum.org. Standard admission at the Gilmore Car Museum is $16 for adults and seniors, $11 for age 11-14, free for Children 10 and under — and free for active military.
President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, shake hands as they meet for the first time, June 12, 2018, at the Capella Hotel in Singapore. (state.gov)
The World Affairs Council of West Michigan (WACWM) continues its virtual series of special discussions and its Great Decisions Global Discussions 2021 series this week, starting with the rescheduling of a special program on the future of Korea and its alliance with the United States.
The program “The Korean — U.S. Alliance”, originally scheduled to take place in mid- January, was rescheduled to Feb. 4. The program will feature the U.S. Department of State’s Dr. Jennifer Brannon, Sung-hoon Park, of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the U.S., and Korea Economic Institute vice president Mark Tortola. A program of the World Affairs Councils of America in partnership with the Korea Economic Institute, this will focus on broadening and deepening public understanding of Korea and the U.S.-Korea relationship.
While the program was available live is is also viewable as an archive on YouTube here.
The WACWM’s Great Decisions Global Discussions series will be live-streamed to YouTube Mondays from 6-7:15 p.m., starting Feb. 8 and running through March 29. The public is invited and the webinars will be viewable live and as archived on-demand. The cost to the public is $10 per discussion, $60 for a series pass, with prior registration required.
The February series dates, topics and guest speaker are as follows:
Feb. 8, “North Korea: Getting Diplomacy Back on Track” with Suzanne DiMaggio, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
After a historical summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in 2018, hopes of a change in relations have faded. Now, with a new president in the White House, landslide legislative victories in South Korea, and rumors of an unwell Kim, do new dynamics have the potential to change a perennially thorny situation?
DiMaggio is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Board Chair of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a new think tank she co-founded in 2019, and is currently directing a U.S.-DPRK dialogue that has included several visits to North Korea. As part of that process, she facilitated the first official discussions between the Trump administration and North Korean government representatives in Oslo in May 2017.
Feb. 15, “Have We Learned Anything about this Pandemic?” with Andrew Natsios, director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University.
COVID-19 took the world by surprise, but it shouldn’t have been surprising. The question remains how our global health systems can be more responsive and resilient to pandemics. Professor Andrew Natsios will discuss the structural problems in the World Health Organization that have created dysfunctions laid bare by COVID-19; the need for a global pandemic early warning system and how it might be achieved; and next steps in vaccine distribution in the developing world in light of great power competition and larger global health challenges.
Professor Natsios is an executive professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and Director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs. He was previously a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. He is also the author of three books: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1997), The Great North Korean Famine (2001), and Sudan, South Sudan, and Darfur: What Everyone Needs to Know.
Feb. 22, “The European Union: The New Agenda Post-Brexit” with Tomas Baert , Head of Trade and Agriculture, European Delegation to the U.S.
Containing 5.8 percent of the world population but accounting for 18 percent of world GDP, the European Union holds enormous influence in the world, driving economic growth, advancing sustainable development, and championing peace and security by promoting democratic norms. While Brexit has been the focus, other key priorities of the Union remain: stabilizing transatlantic relations, continuing response to the COVID crisis, leading in the climate fight, and transforming the digital economy.
Baert, Head of Trade and Agriculture for the European Delegation to the United States focuses on the future of the EU in this presentation. Prior to his work in the U.S., Baert was the Head of Unit for Trade Strategy at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade). From 2014 to 2016, he was an assistant to Director-General for Trade, advising on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and WTO negotiations.
iHeart West Michigan Radio and Dégagé Ministries will once again partner this year on a daylong fundraiser, the fourth annual “Day of Hope”, to raise money for those in need in Grand Rapids. The radiothon raised more than $80,000 in 2020. In conjunction with the fundraiser, Dégagé will also feature some of its patrons in an outdoor exhibition called “Project Hope” to raise awareness of increasing homelessness in Grand Rapids.
Day of Hope will be held Friday, Feb. 5, from 5 a.m to 5 p.m. This year, the broadcast will feature on-air personalities from WOOD Radio from 5 a.m. to noon, as well as personalities from BIG 101.3 FM from noon to 6 p.m., who will share stories of hope from the men and women served at Dégagé.
Dégagé also will host its second public exhibition in the past six months, Project Hope, in conjunction with Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.’s World of Winter event and Day of Hope. Project Hope will activate displays at nine sites around the downtown Grand Rapids area and will feature life size photos and stories of homelessness and hope from Dégagé patrons. Project Hope follows up Dégagé’s successful 2020 art installation, the Pillowcase Project, which featured more than 4,700 pillowcases representing the women who have stayed at the organization’s Open Door Women’s Center since 2003. Dégagé hopes to educate more of the Grand Rapids community on issues related to homelessness, as well as provide stories of hope from those the organization serves. Project Hope will be on display through Feb. 26.
“The pandemic has only increased the many needs and burdens of the men and women Dégagé serves,” said Dégagé Ministries Executive Director Thelma Ensink. “But Dégagé is a place of hope, and we are grateful to iHeart Media, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and the City of Grand Rapids for the opportunity to share our stories of hope with the Grand Rapids community.”
For more information on the Day of Hope or Project Hope events, visitdegageministries.org.
LowellArts announces the debut of a new music program for 2021 – Featured Artist Series: Connecting You with the People Behind the Music – that offers audiences a personal, insider’s view into the current music scene from the perspective of West Michigan’s talented performers. The new program features one artist each month on the LowellArts website. Each Featured Artist of the Month consists of an in depth live-recorded video interview with the artist, an artist profile, and links to past performances. The program series will launch its first feature on Monday, Feb. 1, with Ryne Clarke of The Ryne Experience, who just released a new album called “The Onion Tree.”
The LowellArts Music Committee created this program as a way to support the local music community during the pandemic and beyond. Designed to further the LowellArts mission of connecting artists and audiences, this new series will give West Michigan listeners a chance to meet the people behind the music who have performed at LowellArts events.
Criteria for selecting performers for the series is that the artists must have previously entertained audiences at a past LowellArts event such as a LowellArts Gallery Concert, a Lowell Showboat Sizzlin’ Summer Concert, or at the LowellArts Fallasburg Arts Festival. Artists that participate in the program will be eligible to sell CD’s, albums, and digital downloads in the LowellArts gallery as part of a soon-to-be established Gallery Music Store and On-line Store.
The interviewer will ask the artist to talk about a variety of topics such as: how the break from performing due to the pandemic has affected them; how music has changed since they first started performing or recording; and/or how they feel the relationship between artist and listener is evolving in the age of digital streaming services. The interviewer will also invite the artist to perform a song, live for the video interview.
In addition to the Featured Artist of the Month being highlighted on the LowellArts website and social media outlets, the vision is to reach a wider audience by collaborating with media partners. LowellArts is seeking media partners who, upon making a formal commitment, will have the rights to re-publish the content of the feature including; the video interview, article text, photos, pre-pandemic performance video links, and links to the artist website and merchandise. Please contact LowellArts at 616-897-8545 or lorain@lowellartsmi.org if you are interested in becoming a media partner.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum is now featuring a new exhibit, Windows GR, three large-scale art pieces created by local artists of color.
Originally part of the Windows GR project, the three pieces of artwork are now a part of the GRPM’s permanent Collections and will be on display on the second floor of the Museum.
“I Can’t Breathe” by Guillermo Sotelo. (Supplied)
The Museum purchased the three pieces from Grand Rapids artists: Jalexia Stoutmyre, DeVante Barnes and Guillermo Sotelo, that were created specifically for the Windows GR project. On May 30, 2020, a peaceful protest in support of Black Lives Matter was held in downtown Grand Rapids, in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020. Following the protest, riots broke out causing damage to vehicles and buildings. As a result, Windows GR was created, in collaboration with Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts and a special group of creatives, to use the plywood-covered windows as blank canvases, allowing artists to paint pieces to speak out against systemic racism as well as provide a new platform for black and brown artists’ work to be seen and appreciated. Many artists worked collaboratively in this community activation project to paint the boarded up windows of businesses throughout downtown Grand Rapids over the summer of 2020.
“The protests and riots that took place in Grand Rapids this past summer are part of the history of the city. It is the privilege and place of the GRPM to preserve the stories of our community,” said GRPM President and CEO Dale Robertson. “To that end, these local artists’ statements speak to us on the ideals of justice, of systemic racism, and on racial reckoning. They represent and memorialize the community response to the destruction to our downtown which occurred at first light the following day. The Museum is pleased to be able to host these works, and connect with the community in this way.”
“Urban Funeral” by DeVante Barnes (Supplied)
“As a museum, we believe in the importance of building a collection to share stories that reflect the diversity of our community,” said Alex Forist, the GRPM’s Chief Curator. “Sharing the truth about history isn’t always going to be easy, but it’s important that we tell stories as accurately and completely as possible in order to preserve pieces from this moment in time for future generations. By purchasing these pieces, the Museum is honored to assist with amplifying the voices of black and brown artists in our community.”
The artifacts can also be explored on the Museum’s online Collections database, available at grpmcollections.org. This exhibit will be included with general admission.
Tibbits Young Audiences will move forward with its spring musical, “The Nifty Fifties”to be presented April 23-25 and will hold auditions for the show at 5 p.m. Feb. 8 and 9 at Tibbits Opera House.
After being forced to cancel last year’s production of “The Secret Garden” the week before opening, the TYA team is excited to get the students back on stage. “The Nifty Fifties” by Tim Kelly with music and lyrics by Bill Francoeur is a funny, top-tapping tribute to the 1950s. It tells the story of Gracie Stanley, who has gotten herself into hot water by promising to deliver her distant cousin, rock star Ziggy Springer, for the high school dance. When Ziggy is unavailable she and her friends decide to fake his appearance. The story takes some turns and features memorable characters include a singing soda jerk, a snooty rival, a “totally square” building owner, a paranoid brother, a beatnik gang and its “bad dude” leader.
Auditions are open to any student in sixth through eighth grades. Students should bring a current, non-returnable photo, their completed audition form, and be accompanied by a parent or guardian; no additional guests will be allowed. Students must project through their mask for the audition. They will be asked to introduce themselves from stage, read parts from the script, sing a familiar children’s song, and follow some simple choreography.
Audition forms and the part of the script the auditionees will be reading will be available online at Tibbits.org. Rehearsals will begin Feb 15, 2021 and will be held Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-6:30; not all roles meet all days. Rehearsals will be in small groups to allow for social distancing and masks will be required. The show will be presented April 23 and 24 at 7 p.m. and April 25 at 2 p.m. at Tibbits.
“The Nifty Fifties” will be directed by Julia Littley and produced by Tirsha Odisher with musical direction by Jayne Lillis. This productionis generously sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Coldwater. Students involved will learn characterization, blocking, costuming, makeup and all aspects of a stage production. Due to current restrictions, several adaptations have been made including reducing the size of the cast to 25 students in order to maintain social distancing. While the TYA program usually casts 50 students from grades 4-8, because of the limited cast size this production will be limited to older students in sixth through eighth grades.
According to Littley, “We are giving this opportunity to the older students since we are limited to half of what we normally cast. It was a difficult decision and we understand it might be disappointing to our younger students, but rest assured we will open this opportunity back up to those in grades 4-5 as soon as we are able, hopefully by the fall production.”
Tibbits Young Audiences offers programs both for and by area youth to develop their interest in the arts. Two shows yearly, a non-musical in the fall and a musical in the spring, provide students an enjoyable introduction to the world of theatre. By putting on a show, they learn teamwork, discipline, theatre skills, self confidence and an appreciation for the arts.
Auditions will be held at Tibbits Opera House, 14 South Hanchett Street, Coldwater, Mich. Students need only attend one time. Masks are required inside the theatre. For more information call 517.278.6029 or visit Tibbits.org.
Grand Haven Main Street invites the community to Build a Snowman on Main Street! Snowmen on Main Street is a new event created by Grand Haven Main Street’s promotions committee that showcases the talents of Snowman building at its finest throughout the Main Street District.
Snowmen on Main Street is a new community contest that allows you to express your snowman making talents without using snow (they do have a snowmelt system, after all)! You may enter individually or as a team. Your snowman can be made out of any type of material, though it will be displayed outside, so use weather resistant materials where possible. Your snowman can be 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional. What you create is up to you. Each snowman that is delivered to Grand Haven Main Street on February 10 will be attached to the light posts up & down Washington Avenue (Harbor to Beacon) and along 7th (Washington to Beacon).
“We are ecstatic to be welcoming a new winter event in 2021, Snowmen on Main. Community driven events like these are what bonds our local communities together and drives our Main Street businesses forward,” Grand Haven Main Street Executive Director Jeremy Swiftney stated. “Grab your materials, you and your team, get creative, and stop by to enjoy the historic main street district as the year round destination our community needs.”
The competition will begin on Saturday, Feb. 13, and run through Saturday, Feb. 20. The community is invited to come to Grand Haven Main Street throughout the week and vote for their favorite snowman.
There will be a first place Juried Award and a first place People’s Choice Award – each will win a trophy and bragging rights.
Grand Haven Main Street presents Snowmen on Main Street so…
– Choose your team
– Pick up, complete & return the registration form* by Feb. 1
– Create your vision
– Build your snowman
– Deliver your snowman to GHMS no later than 2/10 (519 Washington Avenue 9am—12noon)
Develop the skill to identify trees in their winter form from the warmth of your living room this winter. Join Dr. Danielle Zoellner of Idle Awhile Farm & Forage and the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary online next month to learn to identify common Michigan trees and shrubs using growth form, bark, buds and twigs.
The Winter Twig Identification workshop is set for 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, and will be held on Zoom. Participants are encouraged to bring any twigs with buds on them to identify during the workshop. Register by Saturday, Feb. 9, for the link to access the meeting.
The cost of participation is $15 for Sanctuary members, and $20 for non-members. Participants may opt to buy the recommended text, “Winter Tree Finder: A Manual for Identifying Deciduous Trees in Winter,” by May T. Watts, which is available for purchase online.
The Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, open during all four seasons, is a perfect place to practice newfound identification skills. The Sanctuary is located at 12685 East C Ave., one mile north of M-89 and just west of 40th Street. To learn more, visit birdsanctuary.kbs.msu.edu. Direct questions to birdsanctuary@kbs.msu.edu or 269-671-2510.
“It was nice to see all the people walking around,” wrote a Facebook friend as we discussed visiting downtown Grand Rapids to see the World of Winter Festival.
Hosted by Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. (DGRI) and the City of Grand Rapids, the annual event is designed to encourage area residents to get out and enjoy the winter weather. Wanting to make the event special, especially with everyone dealing with the pandemic, the city’s DDA added to its initial $150,000 contribution with an additional $155,000 to expand the festival. This allow organizers to increase the number of outdoor sculptures .
The festival runs through the end of February with different activities and sculpture pieces being installed.
“HYBYCOZO” is on display at Ah-Nab-Awen Park. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
Currently on display is “HYBYCOZO,” a series of large-scale installations and artworks that investigate geometric exploration and patterns through light, shadow, and perception. The piece is located at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, which is in front of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW.
Between the Blue Bridge and Pearl Street will be “Grand Illuminations” featuring light and color along the Grand River.
“Winter Tumbleweeds and Grasses,” on the Blue Bridge, is an interactive art installation made out of more than 5,000 pool noodles. The installation features five large tumbleweeds, three small tumbleweeds and for groves and two anemones.
Near the Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW, is the “Path of Encouragement,” which features positive saying and messages such as “It’s OK to no be OK.”
“Path of Encouragement” is located near the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
Look to the sky to see the 20-foot inflatable dancing tube persons on top of 10 buildings throughout downtown Grand Rapids. Part of the “Color the Skyline,” the bright colorful characters can be seen from the downtown sidewalks as well as from US-131 and I-196.
Being added on Friday is “Impulse,” an interactive art installation that consists of 15 seesaws that light up and create sound when put into motion by people. “Impulse” is located on Monroe. At Canal Park is “The Singing Tree,” a lighting experience that transforms traditional displays into interactive experiences. Participants will be able to sing, clap, or yell to create an unforgettable and magical experience.
Another installation, set to run Jan. 29 – Feb. 2 is the “Ice Luminaries.” Featuring 10 giant icicles with lights frozen in the center, the Ice Luminaries will light the way along the Gillett Bridge located near Ah-Nab-Awen Park.
“Winter Tumbleweeds and Grasses” on the Blue Bridge. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
On Feb. 1, the “Elevated Love Language” project, led by Grand Rapids Poet Laureate Ericka “Key Kane” Thompson, will be installed. In this exhibit, short poetic expressions from local artists will be placed on billboards or projected onto buildings throughout the city.
Also in February, every Saturday and Sunday night, will be “Projection Mapping” by Live Space, which will light up the front of the Civic Auditorium, located on Lyon Square across from the Amway Grand Plaza.
More than 80 ice sculptures will be part of the Valent-ICE, which will take place Feb. 12 – 14. Grand Rapids Running Tours will be offering Ice Sculpture Walking Tours and self-guided tours also will be available.
Many of the past group experiences will not be taking place at this year’s event, however DGRI is planning to live-streaming dance performances at two installations. Also during the six-week event, there will be walking tours such as The Chilly Challenge: the Heartside Walking Tours and Black History Walking Tours as well as pop-up performances, tribal storytelling, outdoor ice games, and a scavenger hunt.
Every year, Mackinac State Historic Parks sends historic interpreters into classrooms throughout the state to share the diverse historic and natural history of the straits area with the students of Michigan. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in-classroom outreach has been suspended. However, Mackinac State Historic Parks is excited to debut its lineup of six virtual offerings, headlined by the award-winning Historic Mackinac on Tour program.
“Our new online education programs allow us to reach students across the state, regardless of whether they are learning in the classroom or at home,” said Mackinac State Historic Parks’ Chief Curator Craig Wilson. “Additionally, our new programs significantly broaden the scope of MSHP’s educational offerings, allowing us to address a variety of curriculum standards across multiple grade levels.”
All programs will be offered via Zoom, allowing for students to interact with the historic interpreters. Programs cost $20 each and can be booked fully online. Programs available for the 2020-21 school year include: Historic Mackinac on Tour, Slavery in Colonial Michigan, Women at Michilimackinac, The Revolutionary War in Michigan, Weathering the Climate: Science and Gardening at Michilimackinac, and Challenges to Expansion: The War of 1812 in Michigan. Full descriptions and availability of each program can be found at mackinacparks.com/education.
Historian Craig Wilson talks about the Old Mackinaw Point Lighthouse. (Mackinac State Parks)
Mackinac State Historic Parks’ education outreach programs are made possible, in part, by the generosity of Mackinac Associates, the friends group to MSHP.
Mackinac State Historic Parks, a family of living history museums and parks in northern Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac, is an agency within the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Its sites—which are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums—include Fort Mackinac, Biddle House, Historic Downtown Mackinac, The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum, and Mackinac Island State Park on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park, and Michilimackinac State Park in Mackinaw City. Mackinac State Historic Parks is governed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, established in 1895 to protect, preserve and present the parks’ rich historic and natural resources for the education and recreation of future generations. Visitor information is available at (231) 436-4100 or online
