The Gilmore’s Ultimate Truck Show will include pickup trucks, 4x4s, Jeeps, big rigs, tow trucks, emergency response vehicles, and military vehicles. (Gilmore Car Museum)
The Gilmore Car Museum and Tow Community are joining forces to present the Ultimate Truck Show, a celebration of “the trucks we all love and rely on,” on the Gilmore Car Museum campus this weekend.
The event will run Friday, Sept. 10, from noon to 8 p.m.; and Saturday, Sept. 11, from 9 a/m. to 4 p.m. The Gilmore is located on M-43, just north of Gull Lake, between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.
Tow Community is an online member community of thousands of towing services professionals and emergency responders, promoting roadway safety and the “Slow Down, Move Over” national industry campaign. For more information visit facebook.com/thetowingcommunity
The Ultimate Truck Show, according to a announcement from the Gilmore, will include activities like Touch-A-Truck, a Kids Zone with games, swap meet, bake sale, silent auction, Light Up The Night with the lights from First Responder vehicles, a school bus extrication demonstration, helicopter landing, and more.
Present for viewing will be a wide range of pickup trucks, 4x4s, Jeeps, big rigs, tow trucks, emergency response vehicles, and military vehicles in the show fields, alongside the historic barns and classic dealership buildings containing the Gilmore Car Museum’s indoor car collection.
There will also be live concert performances on both Friday and Saturday, included in the admission price, with Schlitz Creek Bluegrass Band on Friday, starting at 5 p.m.; and Barefoot Blonde Country Rock Band on Saturday, starting at 2:30 p.m.
There will also be an onsite fundraising efforts at the show which will directly benefit the Great Lakes Burn Camp for Burn Injured Children. (glbcforkids.org)
As part of its coverage for the 28th Street Metro Cruise, WKTV Community Media is creating three short films directed by regional filmmakers whose mission was simple: take six minutes telling a narrative film story about classic cars and classic design. All three projects, which are now nearing completion in production and moving through various stages of post production, covered the breadth of some of the most fabulous steel and iron to roll off American assembly lines.
In the course of producing the films, WKTV was charged with sourcing many of the classics for the film productions. Those cars included a 1954 Buick Century convertible in daffodil yellow from the Grand Rapids Auto Gallery along with a 1938 Ford Cabriolet.
The GR Auto Gallery loans a 1938 red Ford Cabriolet for the proper setting in front of the Civic Auditorium.
“While the Grand Rapids Auto Gallery acts as a consignment dealer for classic cars, they were generous with loaning us three vehicles from their collection,” said Tom Norton, the series producer, including a 1958 white Corvette with a red interior that appeared on WKTV’s Metro Cruise coverage in 2019.
Another resource came from the Gilmore Car Gollection near Galesburg, Michigan.
“The Gilmore is such a treasure regionally and they were just wonderful,” Norton said. “When the script for one of the films called for an Auburn dealership from the 1930s, they were able to provide the entire set filled with shiny, gorgeous Auburn classics from the thirties. Just…wow!”
Ella Campbell from East Kentwood High School participated in the production as a script supervisor.
One hurdle for the three films was arranging period wardrobe. WKTV called on two resources, the Grand Rapids Civic Theater and Wyoming High School’s theater department and both were able to assist in outfitting characters from the 1930s, 1950s and 1980s.
The crew films the eighties short film “Drive” for Metro Cruise.
The first film in the Metro Cruise series is called “Drive” and features a 1980s theme. The film takes place on a drag strip and, directed by WKTV volunteer Kyle Misak, stars from “American Idol” Margie Mays as a mechanic working on a drag strip with homage to all 1980s vehicles. The six minute music video took six days for Misak and his crew to shoot.
Margie Mays from “American Idol” stars in the eighties Metro Cruise film “Drive.”
The second film, directed by GVSU professor John Philbin called “No Trip for Biscuits,” takes place in the 1930s and follows the philosophy of legendary designer Gordon Buehrig of the great Dusenberg classics. The short film features cameo appearnances by “Carol Lombard” and “Gary Cooper” and was filmed at the Gilmore Museum and in front of the 1930s facade of the old Civic Auditorium.
“What we loved about this project,” Norton said, “was that all of the filmmakers pulled out all the stops in terms of their creativity and resourcefulness to make these three period films happen. And of course, the classic auto community from GR Auto Gallery to the Gilmore provided serious lift as well.”
Grand Rapids Auto Gallery donated the use of this 1954 Buick Century for the Metro Cruise film “Horizon.”
The last of the films’ “Horizon” which takes place during the 1950s and combines the design of the classic fifties vehicles with the civil rights struggles of the day, is just going into post production. All three films will be available on WKTV and on the station’s video on demand service this fall.
The City of Kentwood and GR8 Food Trucks will again partner to offer a Food Truck Festival with more than 20 vendors to both help the community support small businesses and make the most of the end of the summer season.
The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 11, in the parking lot of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard. L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE, according to a Sept. 7 statement from the city.
The free-to-attend community event will run 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and feature 24 food trucks, live music and a beer and wine tent.
This year’s event will coincide with the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The event will include a moment of silence led by Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley, at 5 p.m., to honor the victims of 9/11, followed by a brief performance by local bagpiper Tom Bradley. There will also be posters from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York on display in the Library Community Room.
“We’re looking forward to the return of our Food Truck Festival, which has become one of our community’s favorite events to enjoy great food and music as we near the end of summer,” Val Romeo, Kentwood Parks and Recreation director. said in supplied material. “We’ve developed a great lineup of food trucks with GR8 Food Trucks, as well as several musicians for a full day of fun outdoors.”
There will be a wide variety of sweet and savory food options available for purchase, according to the statement, with participating food trucks including Bigfoot Burger, Big Mike’s Kettle Corn, Beecher’s Pretzels, Curry in a Hurry, Daddy’s Dough Cookies, El Jalapeño, Fire and Rice Paella, Kool Breze, Kona Ice of Lowell, Lazy Man BBQ, Mapocho Fresh Sanwishes, Mexcellente, Nick’s Gyros, Olly’s Donuts, Patty Matters, PJW Creole Cuisine, Pressed in Time, Saladino Smoke, Sanse Filipino Cuisine, Street Frites, Touch O’ Dutch, Arcane Pizza, Whipped, a Brunch Truck, and UCC Desserts.
The City of Kentwood will continue to monitor public health guidance and orders, according to the statement, which may require changes to the event. Residents are encouraged to follow current public health guidelines to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Diomede Mother and Child, from “Edward Curtis: Unpublished Alaska”, on display at Muskegon Museum of Art starting Sept. 16. (Supplied)
Edward Curtis and daugher Beth in a kaiak, from “Edward Curtis: Unpublished Alaska”, on display at Muskegon Museum of Art starting Sept. 16. (Supplied)
Nunivak Man on sled rails, from “Edward Curtis: Unpublished Alaska”, on display at Muskegon Museum of Art starting Sept. 16. (Supplied)
Cliff houses on King Island, viewed from Jewel Guard, from “Edward Curtis: Unpublished Alaska”, on display at Muskegon Museum of Art starting Sept. 16. (Supplied)
Ju-kuls Nunivak, from “Edward Curtis: Unpublished Alaska”, on display at Muskegon Museum of Art starting Sept. 16. (Supplied)
On June 8, 1927, Edward Sherriff Curtis, one of America’s premier photographers and ethnologists, set sail on the steamer ship Victoria towards Nome, Alaska, accompanied by daughter Beth Curtis Magnuson and newly employed assistant Stewart C. Eastwood.
Curtis took hundreds of images on his journey, only part of which were ultimately published. The rest sat, unseen, passed down through the family until the recent publication of a book and the curation of an exhibit detailing this “lost photographs.”
On Sept. 16, the Muskegon Museum of Art (MMA) will open the exhibit “Edward S. Curtis: Unpublished Alaska, the Lost Photographs”, with the exhibit running through Jan. 9, 2022.
This exhibition accompanies the 2021 publication of the complete journals by Curtis’ descendants, John and Coleen Graybill, in the book “Edward Curtis: Unpublished Alaska.”
The exhibition’s opening event — on Sept. 16, with a reception at 5 p.m., a book signing 6 p.m., and a lecture at 7 p.m. — will feature Graybills in attendance. The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required.
“Edward Curtis: Unpublished Alaska, The Lost Photographs” presents, for the first time to the public, images made from the unused original negatives. Over 100 images will be included in the exhibition, along with excerpts from the personal journals of Curtis and his daughter Beth that describe their often harrowing adventures in the Bering Sea.
Curtis, his history, and ‘The North American Indian’
Born in 1868 near Whitewater, Wisc., Edward Sheriff Curtis was to become one of America’s premier photographers and ethnologists, according to the Edward S. Curtis Gallery website.
When the Curtis family moved to Port Orchard, Wash., in 1887, Edward’s gift for photography led him to an investigation of the Indians (now more properly called Native Americans) living on the Seattle waterfront. His photograph “Homeward” won Curtis the highest award in a photographic exhibition contest.
Edward Curtis and daugher Beth in a kaiak, from “Edward Curtis: Unpublished Alaska”, on display at Muskegon Museum of Art starting Sept. 16. (Supplied)
Having become well-known for his work with Native Americans, Curtis participated in the 1899 Harriman expedition to Alaska as the lead photographer. He then accompanied George Bird Grinell, editor of Forest and Stream, on a trip to northern Montana. There they witnessed the deeply sacred Sundance of the Piegan and Blackfoot tribes. Traveling on horseback, with their pack horses trailing behind, they stopped at the precipice. Below them, the view of the valley floor stretched with over a thousand teepees — an awesome sight to Curtis.
This event would transform his life and inspire him to create “The North American Indian”. Consisting of over 700 large portfolio images, over 1,500 volume size images, and over 7,000 pages of text, “The North American Indian” is a part of American history in both its imagery and its creation.
Begun in 1906, “The North American Indian” was the defining passion of Curtis’s life, an attempt to record, in writing and photography, the lives of the indigenous peoples of the Southwestern, Western, and Northwestern United States. This trip, planned for a single season, would be the final voyage to complete his epic quest.
The MMA is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily; 11 a.m. to 8 a.m., on Thursdays, and closed Mondays. Visit muskegonartmuseum.org for more information.
The Wyoming Lee High School football team will be embarking a new era with its Wednesday, Sept. 1, season-opening game hosting NorthPointe Christian — the era of playing 8-man football.
The late change to 8-man, made just before the season started, has head coach Mark Smoes, and his staff and team, doing a bit of audible game planning and play calling however.
Lee Legends head football coach Mark Smoes. (WKTV)
“We’ve had to adjust quite a bit,” coach Smoes said to WKTV this week. “It is the same game but we are adjusting our time because, as coaches, we are learning to adjust to this game.
“It is a faster pasted game. It allows you the opportunity to get skilled players on the field. That kinds of plays to our strength. We are adjusting a little every day, for the players and for ourselves.”
The Lee vs. NorthPointe game, which will be a junior varsity game for the visitors, will be this week’s WKTV Featured Game with coverage on cable television replay and on-demand. The game kick off will be at 5:30 p.m.
The change to 8-man was one of the first decisions made by new Lee Legends athletic director Tray Crusciel, after he took a look at a football program which has struggled in recent years, including going 0-4 and being outscored 193-41 in games played in its 2020 independent schedule season.
“After seeing the numbers we had out for the program, seeing the low numbers currently at 7/8th grade level, and the strength of the program over the last 10 years, we felt this was best for our kids right now,” Crusciel said to WKTV. “Our move to the Alliance (8-man) conference will definitely help across the board, give us more level competition and, I think, with the conference move and the move to 8-man, this community and school will benefit from it greatly.”
The program which Crusciel looked at, and which Smoes coaches, has its fair share of senior leadership, but with less than 20 players total in the high school program and on the school’s only team, almost half are sophomores and freshman.
But, Smoes said, the change to 8-man not only works with the numbers on his team but also on the talent on his team.
The 8-man game “is a little more offensive (and) we like to run the ball, we like to throw the ball. And we just have more area to work in,” he said. “We enjoy that and our players enjoy that. And we have players who are multi-talented on the field play, players who can catch, players who can run, players who can block. It just makes for a faster game. … It plays to our strengths.”
Among the Legends strengths, Smoes said, is a group to seniors and juniors who will likely play both ways in the 8-man system.
Smoes said senior quarterback Kemijion Reed, who did not play last season due to his family’s pandemic concerns, will be back and is expected to trigger the offense. Fellow seniors Rogelio Martinez, Shamaari Hill and Juan De La O are also expected to be key players.
Junior running back Elijah Beckwith, who rushed for 1,000 yards as a freshman two years ago, and slot back Ke’Ontae will also be key offensive players.
“Those players are going to handle a lot of the work for us this season offensively,” Smoes said. “We (also) have a very strong freshman class, and sophomores as well. And the nice thing about 8-man is that before, when your playing 11-man and you are short on players, you played players in positions which were tough for them to play in.”
But this season, with the 8-man format, many of those young players will be eased into the high school game.
This week’s game is one of four currently scheduled for Lee, with two being varsity 8-man and another JV game. (The Legends will be at Martin Sept. 20, hosting Gobles on Oct. 1, and at Dansville Oct. 21. But Crusciel said more games are likely to be added.)
WKTV featured games will on cable television in Wyoming and Kentwood on Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T Channel 99 Community Channel, rebroadcast on the night of the game and various days and times the week after. See the programming schedule at wktv.org. For more information on WKTV coverage of football and other fall prep sports, follow us at wktvjournal.org/sports.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV’s video coverage team, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvlive.com.
The rich, dark, wet earth forced itself under my fingernails as I scratched through roots and a few beetles.
But no teeth. I needed those teeth.
Or that’s what Clay Ecklund, my expedition leader, told our team of volunteer bone seekers on Isle Royale National Park. I squatted in the middle of a thick cedar swamp with John Warming and Lada Zednik. Nearby, Hal Hanson, another member of our group, sat behind a few downed trees, resting from an arduous hike through nearly unnavigable terrain.
There was another presence. Or what remained of one. We were at a moose calf’s final resting place, trying to piece together its skeleton. All the bones were there, the mandibles, the metatarsus, parts of the skull. But no teeth.
We needed the teeth.
I couldn’t tell where I was. I knew I was on an island wilderness in the middle of Lake Superior. But where exactly on the island, only the GPS knew that. North was somewhere over my left shoulder.
We were sweaty, exhausted and fighting off the summer’s first mosquitoes. We had gotten turned around an hour earlier and realized we had to go through the cedar thicket to find another water source. It was then that I realized I had sprained my ankle stepping off a dead log two hours earlier.
Search for Isle Royale’s bone bounty yields environmental clues, new friends, wilderness salvation (Capital News Service)
It slowly swelled in my boot. By dinner, I couldn’t walk.
Most people don’t experience national parks this way, especially on their first visit. But I had the special opportunity to participate in a volunteer backpacking expedition known as the Moosewatch Expedition.
Since 1988, the expedition has sought volunteer backpackers for a citizen science project. You set off from the dock where the boat from the mainland drops you and then hike deep into the backcountry. The goal is to collect as many moose bones as you can in a weeklong trek across the island. There are four expeditions from mid-May to late July.
This is easier said than done. This expedition is completely off-trail, meaning no paved paths, trail markers or campgrounds. Navigation is done with a compass and a pocket GPS marked with kill site coordinates – places where scientists know wolves have eaten moose. Sometimes the bones were super easy finds. Other times it took hours of searching to find a single vertebra.
Ecklund said the first expedition of the summer has the easiest time finding bones since the understory of ferns hasn’t filled in yet. “It’s nearly impossible to find the bones in July.”
We arranged our five-member group into a long, spread out line. We then all hiked forward into the wilderness, keeping our eyes peeled for bones. Visual contact with another volunteer was always maintained. Otherwise, the island quickly became an endless maze of maples and spruce.
When a bone or antler is found, you shout “BONE!” to the rest of the team. That was the cue to fan out and search the area for the creature’s remains. We carried the bones we found to a central location where the team leader cataloged and photographed the partial skeleton.
All bones must be carried out on foot as there are no roads on the island. Thankfully, not all the bones need to be carried out. Only the skulls, mandibles (the jawbone) and metatarsus (the foot bone) are needed. The teeth I was looking for help determine a moose’s age. These bones tell the researchers all they need to know about the moose.
“The bones are super-valuable,” said Sarah Hoy, a research assistant professor at Michigan Tech University, who studies the island’s moose and wolf populations. She helps lead the university’s moose-wolf survey, the longest recorded predator-prey survey in the world.
The volunteer expedition has helped build the world’s largest collection of moose bones, she said. Those bones help researchers study other things.
A moose skull takes on a new, mossy life on Isle Royale. (Marshall Lee Weimer)
Among them is air quality. Moose store heavy metals from the air in their teeth.
Researchers measured the impact of the U.S. Clean Air Act by analyzing the heavy metal content of moose teeth. Since the bone collection is so old, they could compare lead and mercury levels in teeth from before and after the law was strengthened in 1970. Researchers saw heavy metal levels in the teeth drop dramatically in the early 1980s, showing that air quality had improved.
Disease is another thing the bone collection helps us understand.
We learn a lot about human arthritis from moose arthritis, said Rolf Peterson, a research professor who has studied the wolves and moose of Isle Royale for more than 50 years. Isle Royale moose have an unusually high rate of arthritis compared to mainland ones. Although it is not conclusive, Peterson said the study has shown lifelong health problems like arthritis could be linked to poor nutrition early in life.
Unlike with humans, we can study how arthritis affects moose throughout their lives, Peterson said. “We can’t experiment on people.”
Peterson has been with Moosewatch since its beginning in 1988 and has collected a lot of data and life-long friends from the program. It is a great way to spread the word about science and to get people involved, he said. “Science shouldn’t be an exclusive activity.”
The hands-on science was a fascinating look at moose. But I learned just as much about another mammal of Isle Royale: people.
With about 18,000 visitors each year, Isle Royale is the least-visited national park in the continental U.S. However, it is America’s most revisited national park. My fellow Moosewatchers taught me why.
Larry Fuerst, a retired commercial pilot from Fenton, has been on Moosewatch since 2009. The isolation and ruggedness bring him back. He likes to turn his brain off and just listen to the island.
“Listening to nothing really is something,” he said.
Adrienne Detancio, an organic gardener from Chicago, had already been to the island three times, but this was her first Moosewatch. Hanson recruited her on the ferry home after she had finished a solo trip across Isle Royale. To her, the island is magical.
“It’s like the island is alive in a weird way,” she said.
Ron Eckoff knows the most about that comradery of the group as the longest returning volunteer. A retired public health official, he was on the second expedition in 1989 and has since returned to the island 33 times – 26 with Moosewatch.
Before joining, Eckoff, who is from Iowa, had no backpacking experience. But since then, he has amassed hundreds of stories from those expeditions. His favorite expedition was in 1996 when there was a massive die-off of moose and 3 feet of snow. The harbor bay was frozen, so the volunteers had to snowshoe over ice to the coastline.
“There were dead moose everywhere,” he said.
Ron Porrit, a retired Navy veteran from Hudsonville, was also on that 1996 expedition. Since the moose had not yet decomposed, the carcasses were much heavier, he said “A bull moose head with its antlers can easily weigh 60 pounds.”
Eckoff carried three heads out that year.
In our week on the island, my expedition recovered the remains of 26 moose.
But I never did find those moose teeth. Nor did I see a moose.
But I found so much more. The island is full of life, both human and inhuman. I saw sucker fish spawning and spiders crawling. And, for the first time, I heard wolves howling.
I learned bird calls, hacks for backpacking gear and heard stories about meeting serial killers and suffering injuries much worse than mine.
The richness of wildness on Isle Royale far made up for my twisted ankle.
While I left the island, I thought about a quote from Henry David Thoreau, the 19th century naturalist and thinker. It sums up Isle Royale’s meaning to all who dwell in its forests:
What is the most popular dog breed? How do worms die if they can survive getting cut in two? What exactly is the hardest rock of them all?
These are just some of the questions that librarians Emily Bantel, from the KDL Tyron Township branch, and Courtney Moyses, from the KDL Gaines and Kentwood branches, tackle in the new podcast “Stump the Librarian.” They twosome get help from the librarian “behind the curtain” Jill Anderson, from the KDL Wyoming branch.
Check out the first Stump the Library podcast by clicking here.
“I was researching possible podcasts we could do to help showcase the KDL podcast,” Moyses said. “I wanted to do something more than just read a book.”
Moyses said she also wanted to find a way to engage the library users as well. From that, the group began to develop “Stump the Librarian” podcast.
In each episode, the librarians present two to three questions asked by users. In the inaugural podcast, the group tackles the questions “What is the most popular dog breed in all the different countries?” and “How do you best take care of a dog?” Along with being on the KDL website, the podcast episodes can also be found on Spotify and Podbean.
For those who want to learn more about the topic, they can head over to the KDL website and check out the blog post section. Also, WKTV will be posting “Stump the Librarian” episodes along with the book suggestions.
Residents interested in trying to “Stump the Library,” can visit the blog site, kdl.org/stump, to send in a question or find forms at their local KDL branch.
So what questions have stumped the librarians? Well, none yet, but Moyses said she is certain it is only a matter of time.
New Godfrey-Lee Public Schools athletic director Tray Crusciel, on his first day on the job, had to help make a hard decision about the Legends football program — a program which has struggled mightily in recent years including going 0-4 and being outscored 193-41 in games played in its 2020 independent schedule season.
The decision made was to move the high school program to the 8-man football game, and to scramble to find games — any games — for head coach Mark Smoes’ players.
“My first day in the office, I was tasked with helping make this decision for the district,” AD Crusciel said to WKTV this week. “After seeing the numbers we had out for the program, seeing the low numbers currently at 7/8th grade level, and the strength of the program over the last 10 years, we felt this was best for our kids right now.
“Our move to the Alliance conference will definitely help across the board, give us more level competition and, I think, with the conference move and the move to 8-man, this community and school will benefit from it greatly.”
After forfeiting a perviously scheduled 11-man game last week, the Legends will open their season by hosting an 8-man game against NorthPointe Christian’s junior varsity squad on Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 5:30 p.m.
The game will be covered by the WKTV Featured Game crew, and broadcast on cable television and made available on-demand.
Lee Legends Dragon and Crest. (Supplied)
This week’s game is one of four currently scheduled for Lee, with two being varsity 8-man and another JV game. (The Legends will be at Martin Sept. 20, hosting Gobles on Oct. 1, and at Dansville Oct. 21. But Crusciel said more games are likely to be added.)
“We felt comfortable (scheduling both JV and varsity games) because half our team is freshman/sophomore, but the teams we are playing are all facing the same issues,” Crusciel said. “We are keeping our eyes open for more games but we might have to get lucky.
“For the future, my plan is to seek our 8-man leagues/scheduling agreements to give us full schedules or build numbers back up to transition back to 11-man. Our enrollment sits at 505, so that tells me we have a decent number to tap into. But, this is a huge soccer community and we have kids with various interests and obstacles to overcome.”
He also said a “bright side” is that the district has 30 or so kids playing football in 5/6th grade. “Our goal needs to be getting engaged with those kids at the lower levels more and keeping them interested and engaged in football.”
Prior to last season’s 0-4 record in a season also impacted by the pandemic, coach Smoes first season leading the team, Lee was 3-6 under then coach Tom Degennaro while also playing an independent schedule.
AD Crusciel’s journey to Lee
New Godfrey-Lee Public Schools athletic director Tray Crusciel, with his wife and new baby. (Supplied)
Prior to coming to Lee, Crusciel had been an athletic director for eight years, including three at Covert, where he helped build the athletic department from 1 team to 13 teams, and to get the school back into an athletic conference. He then worked at Benton Harbor for one year. His resume includes stops at Jackson Lumen Christi and Battle Creek Lakeview.
“The reason I’m up here now (is) wife got a new job at Mercy Health (and) we have tons of family in the surrounding areas and we wanted to move closer to our family,” he said.
Crusciel holds degrees from Western Michigan and Wayne State universities, in for my physical education and sports administration. He played football growing up, he said, and has coached multiple sports.
There was already roadwork being done Aug. 31 but there will be intermittent road closures during the next week in Kentwood on 32nd Street SE from the west city limits, just west of Pheasant Ridge Drive, to Breton Avenue while the section of roadway is repaved. (WKTV)
There was already roadwork being done Aug. 31 but there will be intermittent road closures during the next week in Kentwood on 32nd Street SE from the west city limits, just west of Pheasant Ridge Drive, to Breton Avenue while the section of roadway is repaved. (WKTV)
There was already roadwork being done Aug. 31 but there will be intermittent road closures during the next week in Kentwood on 32nd Street SE from the west city limits, just west of Pheasant Ridge Drive, to Breton Avenue while the section of roadway is repaved. (WKTV)
There was already roadwork being done Aug. 31 but there will be intermittent road closures during the next week in Kentwood on 32nd Street SE from the west city limits, just west of Pheasant Ridge Drive, to Breton Avenue while the section of roadway is repaved. (WKTV)
There was already roadwork being done Aug. 31 but there will be intermittent road closures during the next week in Kentwood on 32nd Street SE from the west city limits, just west of Pheasant Ridge Drive, to Breton Avenue while the section of roadway is repaved. (WKTV)
The City of Kentwood announced Tuesday, Aug. 31, that intermittent road closures are expected this week on 32nd Street SE from the west city limits, just west of Pheasant Ridge Drive, to Breton Avenue while the section of roadway is repaved.
The street will be totally closed between Pheasant Ridge Drive and Breton Avenue on Wednesday, Sept. 1, and Friday, Sept. 3. Additionally, the street may be closed in one direction or fully closed intermittently during construction.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the work is expected to be completed by Wednesday, Sept. 8, according to the announcement.
Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and seek an alternate route or take the detour from Kalamazoo Avenue to 28th Street to Breton Avenue. Emergency, residential and business access will remain open. Area businesses and residents should utilize Breton Avenue or 32nd Street west of the project limits whenever possible.
Community members may sign up to receive biweekly updates on the City’s road construction projects by contacting Kentwood city engineer Brad Boomstra at boomstrab@kentwood.us or 616-554-0740.
Many of the historic buildings at Blandford will be open during the tribute set for Sept. 8 – 11. (Supplied)
By Jess Bitting Blandford Nature Center
Blandford Nature Center will be hosting a celebration of the life and achievements of founder Dr. Mary Jane Dockeray, who passed away peacefully in Grand Rapids on August 18, 2020. She was 93 at the time.
From Wednesday, Sept. 8, through Saturday Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the public can view an exhibit about Dockeray’s life in the auditorium of the Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center at Blandford Nature Center. This multiple-day exhibit will highlight her passions and accomplishments over the span of several decades. As a pioneer in environmental education, Dockeray was a local icon who had a passion for inspiring people of all ages to fall in love with and protect nature; and this exhibit documents her journey in doing so. During this four-day exhibit, Blandford’s Historic Buildings will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
Dockeray will be remembered for many things, but she is perhaps best known for her classroom visits and lectures with her ancient slide projector. With this machine in hand, she brought nature to life through vivid imagery and stories that enthralled children and adults alike. Visitors will be able to see some of her slides, as well as view a documentary about her life and a digitized version of one of her most iconic presentations, “These Things are Ours.” Visitors will be encouraged to share their personal memories of Dockeray.
Prior to Dockeray’s passing, Blandford Nature Center, in collaboration with the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, purchased the Highlands Golf Club and is in the process of implementing the master plan for that property. Dockeray always called this “our last great land conquest” and was proud to be part of saving that property from future development. Now everyone can use the new barrier-free trail that connects the Visitor Center to The Highlands to experience the beauty that Dockeray always imagined could exist on that property.
COVID-19 protocols, including social distancing and required masks for all attendees, will be in place to ensure a safe experience. The Blandford Nature Center is located at 1715 Hillburn Ave. NW.
The Space X CRS-3 Dragon cargo craft will launch on Saturday and arrive at the International Space Station on Sunday. (NASA)
By Kelly Taylor WKTV Program Manager
The Space X CRS-3 Dragon cargo craft will be carrying some very special supplies to the International Space Station this Saturday — experiments, essays and art from Girl Scouts.
The inaugural “Making Space for Girls Challenge” was a science competition presented by SpaceKids Global, a Florida-based, non-profit established to use space exploration to engage children in STEAM learning.
The call was put out through all of the Girl Scouts 111 councils with girls from 95 councils participating in three designated categories — science experiment, essays, and art. The competition has nearly 700 entries from across the country, as well as entries from Japan and Germany.
Some of the experiments include sending ants to space to see if they will still tunnel and build hills, while another looks at living micro-organisms processing carbon dioxide and waste on the International Space Station.
The Girl Scouts’ projects are part of several other new science experiments that will utilize a new research facility on board to study plants, ants, and brim shrimp in microgravity.
Live coverage of the launch will start at 3:15 a.m. with the launch scheduled for 3:37 p.m. on Saturday. The coverage continues on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. for the rendezvous and docking of the cargo craft to the ISS. the docking is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m.
NASA TV can be seen on WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99. For more information on NASA or the International Space Station, visit www.nasa.gov.
Retired Chaplain John Hooglund, from Holland Home at Breton Woods, produced this work as part of veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
A scene from veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
A scene from veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
Veteran Jurgen Nitzsche produced this work as part of veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
A scene from veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
Kent County Veterans Services had planned an in-doors Yellow Ribbon Gala this week to unveil the selected works of more than 100 local veterans created during veteran art workshops in 2020 and 2021, and led by local artist Pamela Alderman. But pandemic concerns caused that to be canceled.
But Alderman will still be showing off selected works which inspired and are included as part of her Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize work at an event Saturday, Aug. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., behind Grand Valley State University’s L.V. Eberhard Center, on the Blue Bridge, in Grand Rapids. The program starts at 10:30 a.m.
The event will include Alderman’s Yellow Ribbon sculpture, made in collaboration with several veterans, as well as other individual art pieces made by veterans during the art workshops and also led by Alderman.
There will be live music performed by singer/songwriter and Navy veteran Drew Nelson. There will also be snacks and activities for kids, and county Veterans Services Officers on site to answer questions and set up future appointments for veterans and their families. Additionally the Veterans Services office will have a pop-up shop for making Kent County Veteran ID cards.
But the stars of the show will be the works of the veterans and how their works — and their stories — inspired Alderman’s work.
Pamela Alderman, the lead artist of the veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry, with her son, who is in her first year in the military. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
“The community veteran ArtPrize work took two years to develop,” Alderman said to WKTV. “Over 100 veterans participated. Some families participated with three generations.”
About 14 veteran art workshops were held throughout the pandemic, some indoors and some outdoors in the Veterans Services parking lot. Some art supplies were event delivered door to door.
“The finished work (Alderman’s sculpture) showcases four Kent County veterans pieces, but on Saturday, we will highlight the work of over 100 veterans and family members, plus loved ones,” Alderman said.
The Saturday event will also highlight how Yellow Ribbon evolved into a bigger ArtPrize project with Michael Hyacinthe from [Has Heart] at Veterans Memorial Park. This ArtPrize venue, co-curated by Hyacinthe and Alderman, will host the work of 21 veteran entries along with the Yellow Ribbon work.
For Alderman, the two-year project was as much a passion as a project.
“I’m a veteran wife. My husband served as a Naval Officer for 20 years,” said. “I’m also a Blue Star Mother. My youngest son is training as a Navy pilot, and son-in-law also serves as Navy helicopter pilot.”
Artworks tell veteran’s stories
One of the works to be displayed, an abstract vision including a helicopter flying, was created by retired Chaplain John Hooglund from Holland Home at Breton Woods.
According to suppled material, Hooglund worked as an U.S. Army chaplain for 30 years. In Vietnam, he travelled by helicopter with two gunships. Stateside, he helped integrate church services across racial and gender lines. At the Pentagon, he worked with more than 1,400 chaplains — and assisted them in performing their most difficult duties.
“Once, when he walked into a bar wearing his chaplain’s uniform to deliver some sad news, the father burst into tears as soon as he saw him,” Alderman relayed to WKTV in an email. “Those kinds of experiences still follow John decades later.”
Another work, another abstract vision of a flag and a service member saluting, was created by Jurgen Nitzsche, who detailed his service in a statement relayed by Alderman.
“I served in the U.S. Army 394th station hospital unit for six years,” Nitzsche said. “In 1969, I was honorably discharged … During my time in service, I learned mechanical engineering and people skills, which helped me to become an engineer and plant manager. I believe the military is a great start in life for any young person. I’m 80 years old, and I am proud to have served in the United States Army, to help keep our country free and safe.”
Many local veterans groups helped
In addition to the support of Kent County Veterans Services, Alderman also thanked several local groups for their assistance with the workshops and with her project.
Among the groups supporting the project were 92 For 22 and the Kent County Veterans Treatment Court; Ottawa-North Kent Blue Star Mothers and Marne American Legion; Blue Star Mothers of South Kent and American Legion 305; Blue Star Mothers of Ionia, Kent and Montcalm and Ray I. Booth American Legion; Grand Rapids Home for Veterans; Holland Home; Finish the Mission; WINC: For All Women Veterans; and the GVSU Veterans Upward Bound Program.
Wyoming high head football coach Carlton Brewster, left, watches over practice Aug. 24, as the Wolves prepare for their season opener Aug. 26. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The Wyoming High School football team will open its 2021 season Thursday, Aug. 26, hosting Forest Hills Northern in a game which not only marks the debut of head coach Carlton Brewster II leading the program but marks a return to near normal after a 2020 season radically altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And WKTV will be there to begin its 2021-22 Featured Game coverage season and a season-long run of cable television and on-demand coverage of local high school football. This week’s game at Wyoming will kick off at 7 p.m.
For Wolves coach Brewster, who took over the Wyoming program in March after Irv Sigler Jr. resigned after four years leading the program, the opening night game against the Northern Huskies will be first and foremost chance to begin a normal season after a nearly lost year in 2020.
Wyoming played only five games, posting a 1-4 record in the team’s first season playing the likes of the Muskegon and Zeeland schools in the OK Green, and had several spring and summer restrictions on the program’s off-season activities. (Northern — out of the OK White — posted a 4-3 record leas year, and the two teams did not play as usual in early season action.)
Wyoming high football head coach Carlton Brewster II. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“Our first four games will still be challenging … You have to be ready every week,” Coach Brewster said to WKTV this week. “But it is good for our kids (to have the early season games). We can find out where our kids are at, early on, and as a staff we can come together and decide we need to build on these areas to prepare to go into the OK (Green).”
Not that Brewster and his staff do not already have an idea of the team’s strengths and weaknesses, particularly on offense — the side of the ball where Brewster has excelled playing and coaching in his career. (See a WKTV Journal story about coach Brewster when he took over the program, and see a video interview with him.)
“We got some good skill guys,” Brewster said. “And we are going to utilize the spread (offense) and we are going to utilize the guys we have and get the ball to those guys.”
Wyoming high assistant coach Aaron Berlin working with the team at a practice. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Brewster is also pleased with how the players have ‘bought into” the program since he took over — “Spring and summer has been great (for the program). We came in right away and lifted weights pretty much every single day. A lot of kids bought in.”
And he also pointed out senior leadership as being another strength of his new program.
Isaiah Clark “can play very position on the line, fullback, tight end,” Brewster said. “He’s a great kid. He’s 100 miles an hour and a 3.0 (grade) kid.”
Amani Hobson plays offensive and defensive line, and “does a great job where ever he plays. And Mateo Ledesma plays running back and safety, and will be one of those “skill guys” who will get the ball in his hands — a lot.
WKTV featured games will on cable television in Wyoming and Kentwood on Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T Channel 99 Community Channel, rebroadcast on the night of the game and various days and times the week after. See the programming schedule at wktv.org. For more information on WKTV coverage of football and other fall prep sports, follow us at wktvjournal.org/sports.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports, and community events covered by WKTV’s video coverage team, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvlive.com.
The 28th Street Metro Cruise takes place Aug. 27 and 28 in Wyoming and Kentwood. But Cascade will host a “Warm-Up” — with lots of fun and cars — on Thursday, Aug. 26. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
After being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cascade Metro Cruise Warm-Up returns to Cascade Township where it will welcome classic car lovers and community members of all ages.
This year’s event will take place from 4:30-8:30 p.m., on Thursday, Aug. 26, in the parking lot at Fowling Warehouse Grand Rapids, 6797 Cascade Road SE. The free-to-attend event will feature activities for car enthusiasts, music lovers, families and children, including classic show cars, music by The Soul Syndicate, and face painting and balloon sculpting for the little ones.
There will also be variety of dinner and dessert options available from local food trucks, including Patty Matters, The Grilled Greek, O’Hana Ice and Mexcellente.
“The Cascade Metro Cruise Warm-Up is a wonderful way for residents of all ages to get outdoors, have fun and connect with neighbors,” Sandra Korhorn, Cascade Township economic development director, said in supplied material. “We are beyond excited to return this year and gather with the community to listen to great music, grab a bite to eat and, of course, admire dozens of classic cars.”
The Cascade Metro Cruise Warm-Up leads into the 28th Street Metro Cruise, West Michigan’s premiere auto cruise and car show set for Friday, Aug. 27 through Saturday, Aug. 28, at Wyoming’s Rogers Plaza and Kentwood’s Woodland Mall.
Cascade’s Metro Cruise Warm-Up will also feature a silent auction that will benefit the Kent County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office will auction off two ride-alongs with the K-9 Unit. Each ride-along will consist of a six-hour patrol shift that will “give participants the opportunity to see the role of law enforcement from a unique perspective,” according to supplied material. Participants must be 18 years or older and pass a criminal background check. The K-9 Unit will also perform a live demonstration at 7 p.m.
For more information on the Cascade Metro Cruise Warm-Up visit the Township’s website or the event’s Facebook page.
The three-night WinterFest Jazz Festival will feature Christian McBride and plenty of his “friends”, including on Feb. 25 special guest jazz singer Cyrille Aimée will be featured. (Supplied)
“RoundAgain” is the title of a 2020 studio album by a quartet consisting of modern jazz powerhouses Joshua Redman on saxophone, Brad Mehldau on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Brian Blade on drums.
The album was released without the usual touring support July 2020 after being recorded in New York City, in September 2019 — just before the music world’s abrupt touring shutdown as the COVID-19 pandemic hit us all.
St. Cecilia Music Center, as part of its 2021-22 concert season filled with “hope of bringing audiences back to Royce Auditorium” after its own shutdown, has its own plans to bring touring jazz “round again” — with Redman and McBride leading the effort as both are scheduled to make appearances in 2022, including McBride hosting the delayed WinterFest Music Festival in February.
“We are thrilled and thankful to begin again in 2021–22 with live concerts featuring most of the artists who were scheduled to appear this past season and had to be sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive and artistic director said in supplied material at the time of the season announcement. “These great artists are looking forward to getting back out on tour to perform in front of live audiences and to bring music back to concert stages in the U.S. and worldwide.”
And local jazz fans can’t wait for their return as well.
Joshua Redman Quartet (Supplied)
St. Cecilia’s jazz offerings will include WinterFest, an event featuring 7-time Grammy-winning jazz bassist McBride “with some of his most talented musical collaborators” for a three-evening festival Feb. 24 -26.
The St. Cecilia Spectacular Jazz Series itself will include saxophonist Redman on Jan. 20, Grammy and Tony award-winning jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater together with pianist Bill Charlap on March 10, and acclaimed trombonist, composer and producer Delfeayo Marsalis with his Uptown Jazz Orchestra on April 14.
“It was important to us to bring the artists we had booked this past season for the upcoming 2021-22 season … Recreating that amazing line-up gives us hope for the future.” Holbrook said. “We are also thrilled to announce that our new WinterFest Jazz Festival was able to be rescheduled for the same week” just one year later.
Jazz season opens in January, but tickets available now
Joshua Redman on Jan. 20. Redman, a ceaselessly innovative saxophonist, and his band “evoke a sound that is both challenging and provocative to hard-swinging, melodic, and soulful – music with a joyous and celebratory spirit,” according to supplied material. Redmond’s latest album is “Come What May” was released in Spring 2019 — at which tome JazzTimes said of Redman, he is “unparalleled among horn players today.”
Dee Dee Bridgewater (Supplied)
Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap on March 10. Two Grammy winners will share the stage as Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz vocalist Bridgewater and world- renowned pianist Bill Charlap pay a visit. Bridgewater, over the course of a multifaceted career spanning four decades, “has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics,” according to supplied material. Charlap has performed and recorded with many leading artists of our time, ranging from jazz masters Phil Woods and Wynton Marsalis to singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. Since 1997, he has led the Bill Charlap Trio, now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz.
Delfeayo Marsalis on April 14. Marsalis — of the deep and deeply-talented Marsalis musical family — will lead his Uptown Jazz Orchestra in a performance of big band favorites. Over the course of his music career, acclaimed trombonist, composer and producer Marsalis has been praised for his “technical excellence, inventive mind and frequent touches of humor.” He has also been called one of “the best, most imaginative and musical of the trombonists of his generation.” Marsalis, an NEA Jazz Master, has shared the bandstand with jazz legends Art Blakey, Max Roach and Elvin Jones, as well as pop icons Fats Domino, Ray Charles and George Clinton.
St. Cecilia WinterFest Jazz Festival 2022
Acclaimed Grammy–winning jazz bassist McBride will bring plenty of his “friends” to town for a three-day festival: Feb. 24 will feature McBride and Edgar Meyer for a double “double bass” extravaganza; Feb. 25 will be a traditional jazz show showcasing McBride’s celebrated jazz career with his trio and special guest jazz singer Cyrille Aimée; Feb. 26 will be an evening with Christian McBride’s quintet, Inside Straight, for “an unforgettable night of energetic and inspiring jazz.”
Christian McBride, no stranger to St. Cecilia Music Center, will return in a big way in 2021 (Supplied)
McBride, deservedly, has been called a “force of nature, fusing the fire and fury of a virtuoso with the depth and grounding of a seasoned journeyman.” With a career now into its third decade, the Philadelphia native has become one of the most requested, most recorded, and most respected figures in the music world today.
His range and recording span the spectrum of music: from jazz (McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny) to R&B (Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, and the one and only Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown) to pop/rock (Sting, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon) to hip-hop/neo-soul (The Roots, Queen Latifah) to classical (Kathleen Battle, Edgar Meyer, Shanghai Quartet).
Meyer is in demand as both a performer and a composer. The New Yorker called him “…the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively un-chronicled history of his instrument”, Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship in combination with his gift for composition have brought him to the forefront, where he is appreciated by a vast, varied audience.
Grammy-nominated vocalist Aimée ventured from singing on street corners in Europe to dazzling audiences at the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals; from sneaking out to sing in gypsy encampments in her native France to acting on Broadway; from braving the notoriously tough audiences at New York’s Apollo Theatre to being called a “rising star in the galaxy of jazz singers” by The New York Times.
Inside Straight is Christian McBride’s quintet formed in 2009. “Kind of Brown,” the quintet’s debut studio album, was released in 2009 when Will Lyman of PopMatters wrote “This music is unselfconsciously traditional: it’s fun; it swings…it’s not experimental, but it gives superb voice to several brilliant players and one new discovery. In 2013, the quintet released “People Music”, which one reviewer said “The new album finds the quintet in hard-swing mode, delivering what they call “more road-tested, ‘lived-in’ Inside Straight” in an accessible way, and one that makes the audience part of the experience.”
Tickets and COVID pandemic details
Season subscription and single concert tickets to the 2022 SCMC WinterFest Jazz Festival and Spectacular Jazz Series are available online at scmc-online.org or by calling 616-459-2224.
At this date, St. Cecilia states on its website that it “will require proof of fully-vaccinated status, or a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours, to attend a concert at our venue…. SCMC is also highly recommending that all attendees wear a mask while in the building. Attendees will need to bring ID and proof of vaccination the night of a concert. We will continue to monitor the COVID environment and may change policies at any time if necessary. … All ticket holders will be notified if mandatory mask requirements are in effect for a particular show by an artist.”
If SCMC is able to offer post-concert CD-signing receptions, all ticket-holders may be able to meet some of the artists and obtain signed CDs of their releases. Further information will be announced closer to the start of the season on whether COVID restrictions will allow SCMC to hold receptions.
SCMC WinterFest Jazz Festival individual concerts include Christian McBride and Edgar Meyer on Thursday, Feb. 24, with single tickets at $50 and $55; Christian McBride Trio and Cyrille Aimee on Friday, Feb. 25, with single tickets at $40 and $45; and Christian McBride & Inside Straight on Saturday, Feb. 26, with single tickets at $40 and $45.
Bob O’Callaghan, President/CEO of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, talks about the chamber’s Metro Cruise expanding out to a second location in 2021, at the Woodland Mall.
People who have a history of cruising with the 28th Street Metro Cruise know it once extended from Cascade to Wyoming, with Woodland Mall a good middle point turnaround for some.
Bob O’Callaghan, President/CEO of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, the hosting organization of the Metro Cruise, would like to see those days return.
But this year, just having the event extend its footprint and have a presence at Woodland Mall is a big step in the right direction.
“Woodland (Mall) has been an endpoint for a lot of folks going east,” O’Callaghan said to WKTV. “We are trying to get more people in Cascade, or whatever, doing events that go all the way, the full 13 miles. But at this point Woodland has been a great way to do that.”
The 28th Street Metro Cruise officially kicks-off Friday, Aug. 27, at 4 p.m., at its usual and main location at Rogers Plaza in Wyoming, and will continue Saturday, Aug. 28.
Rogers Plaza mall parking lot in Wyoming is always a focal point for the 28th Street Metro Cruise. (WKACC)
As in past years, the Rogers Plaza mall parking lot will feature food trucks and concessionaires, hundreds of collector cars, a kid’s entertainment area, a community awards ceremony, the crowd-favorite Miss Metro Cruise competition finals, live music on the Metro-Main Stage, and the popular Dynamometer car testing area where attendees can see cars rev up to 160 mph. (For more information and schedule of events visit 28thstreetmetrocruise.com.)
But at the second Main Event site, located on the off 28th Street at Woodland Mall, on Saturday, Aug. 28, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., will feature a wide array of collector, sports, and antique cars. It will also feature multiple food vendors including local food trucks, and official Metro Cruise merchandise.
“The good thing about this event here at Woodland Mall is that it is an opportunity for some of the folks in Cascade, Ada, who usually drive down to Rogers Plaza but don’t want to, have a closer venue,” O’Callaghan said. “We’ll have a lot of folks come into see the cars, and we’ll have a lot of folks just want see what it is. … It is a great opportunity for people to come in, park, look at the cars, and have a good time.”
O’Callaghan also expressed gratitude to the management of Woodland Mall for working with the Metro Cruise — “We are glad to have them be part of this for this year and hope it grows.”
And Woodland Mall is happy to be part of the festivities.
“We are looking forward again to welcoming the 28th Street Metro Cruise to Woodland Mall,” Mikia Ross, interim senior marketing director for Woodland Mall, said to WKTV. “In addition to providing shoppers and guests with an excellent selection of shopping, dining and entertainment offerings, we also host many free events and programs for the community to enjoy year-round. … Metro Cruise is one of many events we’ve been grateful to be a part of again this year to bring the West Michigan community together.”
“As children, we all live in a world of imagination, of fantasy, and for some of us that world of make-believe continues into adulthood.”
Puppeteer and Muppets creator Jim Henson
You’ve Got a Friend
George Keen, left, and Ralph Baker on The Racing Show, taped by WKTV in January, 2020. (WKTV)
George Keen was a friend and mentor for many at WKTV. Known as the face of the popular “The Racing Show,” George would lend his natural broadcast talents to a number of WKTV projects such as DreamWheels at Metro Cruise and the sports show. General Manager Tom Norton writes “Something tells me that if Heaven has racing and they want the new guy to ‘call the race,’ everyone back here who knew George would recommend him highly.” WKTV thanks George’s family for sharing this man of many talents with us.
Revving up for Metro Cruise
It’s hard to believe that Metro Cruise is only a week away, but it is! The largest car show in West Michigan has a ton of events including a Wyoming versus Kentwood chicken wings challenge. Of courses, the cars will be the cente point with them lined up along 28th Street. Bonus: this year there will be two main locations, Rogers Plaza and Woodland Mall. For more on this year’s event, click here. For a look at past events, click here. The Metro Cruise schedule is available at wktvjournal.org and 28thstreetmetrocruise.com.
Forward Thinking
Scenes form “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, coming to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this fall. (SEE Attractions)
ArtPrize is on the horizon for Sept. 16 – Oct. 3 but there are several other cool events coming into Grand Rapids this fall as well. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum will be hosting “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition.” The immersive visual experience is set to open Oct. 22. The Grand Rapids Art Museum will be featuring the work of Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish, members of the Gun Lake Tribe, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band. The two are renowned for their artistry in black ash basketry. And the John Ball Zoo recently announced it will bring back IllumiZoo Wild Hues this fall. Guests will be able to stroll through an illuminated landscape of nature drenched with lighting and sounds. IllumiZoo will run Sept. 3 to Nov. 14.
La Marquise, the oldest running car in the world. (Public Domain)
Fun Fact: 137 years old and still running
Currently holding the title of the oldest running car is the La Marquise from France. The vehicle was manufactured in 1884 by De Dion, Bouton, and Trepardoux. The car was built as a prototype named after De Dion’s mother, and it was based on a quadricycle design. In 1987, an Englishman bought the car from a French auction and brought it home. After working on the car, he was able to get it running and it was the oldest car in the 1996 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The car was given the number “0” for the race. In a 2011 auction, the car sold for more than four and half million dollars. It is in a private collection.
Now in it’s 53rd year, the annual Fallasburg Arts Festival is presented by LowellArts and will be held on Sept. 18 and 19. The 2-day, outdoor festival includes 100 fine art and fine crafts booths, live music on a central stage, food booths supporting local non-profit organizations, a children’s craft area, and traditional craft demonstrations in the pavilion. Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10am-5pm. Admission is free. Parking is $5 per car. Location: Fallasburg Park, 1124 Fallasburg Park Drive, Lowell, MI, 49331. For more information, visit lowellartsmi.org/fallasburg-arts-festival.
Artist booths are juried and a broad range of different mediums are represented including: jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, glass, fiber, mixed media, wood, painting, drawing, photography, floral, basketry, and more. Demonstrators of traditional crafts are located in the pavilion. Visitors of all ages are invited to watch the artisans at work. Demonstrations include: mosaic, fly tying, quilting, weaving, embroidery, needlefelting, and more.
Musical entertainment is held on an outdoor stage both days of the event, featuring a variety of music styles. Saturday music line-up: 10:15 Eli Roe Music, 11:30 Hawks and Owls, 1:00 The Weatherheads, 2:30 Paddy’s Cure, 4:00 Bruce Matthews Band. Sunday music line-up: 10:15 Easy idle String Band, 11:30 Blue Water Ramblers, 1:00 B-Side Growlers, 2:30 The Adams Family, 4:00 The Wild Honey Collective.
An enclosed Children’s Area provides children the opportunity to decorate and take home a pumpkin. Food booths offer an array of fall-inspired and festival foods, offered by local community organizations. Visitors are invited to purchase raffle tickets to win one of over 75 artist-made items donated by festival artists, or the grand prize quilt, created by Mary Kidwell Tobin for the event. Annual attendance estimates are 25,000. Event sponsors are Fifth Third Bank, Meijer, and All-Weather Seal.
Fallasburg Park is located off Lincoln Lake Road north of downtown Lowell at 1124 Fallasburg Park Drive, Lowell, MI. Lowell is located 14 miles east of Grand Rapids and 1-hour from Lake Michigan and Lansing. For more information, contact LowellArts at (616) 897-8545, e-mail info@lowellartsmi.org.
The centuries old tradition of black ash basketry will be the focus of the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s next installment of its Michigan Artist Series.
Set to open Aug. 28, “The Black Ash Basketry of Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish,” features the work of the mother-and-daughter team who are members of the Gun Lake Tribe, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band.
“The black ash tree is an integral part of who we are, from creation stories to blood memories, to the baskets that we make today,” Artist Kelly Church said. “We start with the black ash tree, and we do all of the processing—we harvest it, we process it, we cut it, and then we make a basket that tells a story of our life today. We’re combining the traditions of our past that have been carried on for thousands of years.”
The artists and their family come from an unbroken line of black ash basket makers. The Anishinabe originally made baskets purely for utility, weaving them in various sizes for carrying, collecting, and storing. As a broader appreciation for Native baskets developed, their ancestors began creating decorative baskets to sell and bolster the tribal economy. Church and Parrish draw on these traditions to create more topical and experimental works. An Interwoven Legacy powerfully demonstrates both their astonishing artistry and their urgent advocacy on behalf of Native traditions.
The exhibition emphasizes two of the artists’ primary motivations: the importance of maintaining the basketmaking tradition within their culture, and their advocacy for the black ash tree’s survival, which is being decimated by an invasive insect, the emerald ash borer. These issues are critically important for people whose cultural survival depends on passing traditions on to the next generations, whether through language, ceremonies, or practices like basketry.
Church added, “Cherish and I take our old traditional teachings and we combine it with the contemporary stories of who we are as Natives in 2021. We are the largest basket weaving family in Michigan, and the fact that we can carry it on this long, to me shows strength and resilience of who we are.”
On exhibit through February 26, the artists will debut more than 20 new works in An Interwoven Legacy that focus on the centuries-old tradition of black ash basketry. The exhibit will be a mix of traditional baskets and the contemporary ones that draw on Native history and storytelling.
“The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s exhibition presents the work of two Michigan basket makers who are nationally-recognized for their remarkable level of skill and craft,” said GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. “In Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish’s family, basket weaving has been handed down from one generation to the next, extending back centuries. Their work is especially powerful for the way it balances tradition with their concerns about the environment, both here in West Michigan, and nationally.”
Kelly Church demonstrates her work. (Courtesy)
Accompanying the exhibition will be documentary elements illustrating the strenuous process of harvesting black ash trees and preparing the splints for basketmaking, as well as stories and background information from Church and Parrish about the works on view.
Complementing the exhibition will be several related programming and events, including Drop-in Tours, virtual basketmaking workshops led by Kelly Church, and Drop-in Studio. Guests are encouraged to view the Museum’s updated visitor guidelines in advance of their visit, which includes face mask requirements for all visitors while indoors.
For those who prefer to experience the exhibition virtually, there will be digital resources on GRAM’s website including installation images, a video interview with the artists, archival photographs, and texts.
Anybody who has stood inside the Sistine Chapel in Rome and witnessed the power and the glory of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, you know the feeling of heavenly art if not an actual connection with God.
For those of us who haven’t, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum will bring to Grand Rapids the feeling of being in the chapel when it hosts “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” this fall. (The museum is currently open but with limited capacity.)
The immersive visual experience that is “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel”, presented by Los Angeles-based SEE Attractions, “recreates one of the world’s greatest artistic achievements through photographic reproduction displayed in its original size,” according to an exhibition announcement.
The exhibition opens on Oct. 22 and runs through Feb. 20, 2022.
“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” will be the museum’s feature exhibit in 2021, and Brooke Clement, acting director of the Ford Museum, said in supplied material that the support from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation was pivotal in the exhibit’s scheduling.
“This is an epic exhibit, and we are proud to partner with our friends at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum to bring Michelangelo’s iconic images to West Michigan,” Gleaves Whitney, executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, said in supplied material. “There is something in these timeless paintings to delight and teach every visitor — from students who are learning about how art tells our most important stories to seasoned travelers who have toured the Sistine Chapel in person and seek to deepen their knowledge.”
Local ties by exhibit producer
The path for a Los Angeles-born entertainment exhibit, by a German-born producer, to make its way to Grand Rapids, is really a story of local ties.
“I first came to Grand Rapids as an exchange student from Germany in 1975 and graduated from Forest Hills Northern High School,” Martin Biallas, CEO of SEE Attractions, said in supplied material. “That experience inspired me to stay in the US and start my entertainment business, so it’s a special honor for me to be able to bring one of my productions to Grand Rapids.”
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum entrance. (Supplied)
“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, in addition images of timeless masterpieces including the “Creation of Adam” and “The Last Judgment”, includes the ceiling paintings from the Sistine Chapel, all of which have been reproduced in a truly unique way using licensed high-definition photos.
“Brought to life using a special printing technique that emulates the look and feel of the original paintings, visitors are given a chance to engage with the artwork in ways that were never before possible: seeing every detail, every brushstroke, and every color of the artist’s 34 frescoes,” according to supplied material.
Each image is accompanied by informative signage, and audio guides are available to rent for an even more in-depth experience.
For more information about “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, visit chapelsistine.com/
The Ford Museum is currently open on Wednesday-Friday, 2-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m,. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, non to 5 p.m. Tickets are limited to a 50-person capacity and available for purchase online at buy.acmeticketing.com/events/277/list.
Since 2005, the 28th Street Metro Cruise has been an annual event put on by the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, but “cruising 28th Street” has been a “thing” long before then — people have grown up cruising up and down 28th Street, maybe first with their father and now with their children.
Cruisers have long considered 28th Street a memorable place for car lovers, particularly around the Rogers Plaza area in Wyoming, and “Bringing car lovers together to celebrate this long-standing tradition was the foundation for the current event,” the chamber states on their website.
And WKTV Community Media has been covering the 28th Street Metro Cruise since its inception.
“WKTV Community Media has for nearly half a century been part of the Wyoming and Kentwood community and, with Metro Cruise being one of largest gatherings of our community, we have a long history with the event,” Tom Norton, general manger of WKTV Community Media, said. “We have covered it in many ways over the years. Rain or shine. Big and smaller. The cars change but our commitment to coverage has not.”
For just a sampling of WKTV’s coverage, and some recent YouTube highlights, see the following links:
The History of Metro Cruise
Even in the COVID-19 year of 2020, WKTV got creative and still offered up a show.
In 2017, a car show met Hollywood premiere as WKTV brought classic vehicles to the red carpet.
In 2018, WKTV looked at what “classic sports and performance cars” might look like in the future.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park announced today, Aug. 11, that the Friday, Aug. 13, concert with Mat Kearney has been postponed until Sept. 8 due to a positive test for COVID-19 by the singer.
And while Kearney is full vaccinated, and is in good health, he is exercising caution.
Mat Kearney. (Supplied)
“Despite my best efforts, I have tested positive for COVID-19. I’m thankfully vaccinated, and just feeling a bit under the weather,” Kearney said in supplied material. “For the health and safety of the band, crew and fans, we will be rescheduling Friday’s show … I’m so bummed. I’ve only missed one show in my life, and can’t wait to see you all again.”
(He also asked for “Your binge-worthy tv recommendations,” and we respectively suggest “Queen’s Gambit”, if not already on his board.)
Tickets purchased for the Aug.13 concert will be honored on Sept. 8, according to the Meijer Gardens statement. But for those who cannot attend the Sept. 8, refunds will be available through Etix through Aug. 20. Please note, according to the statement, ticket fees are non-refundable. To request a refund, please click visit bit.ly/KearneyRefundRequest.
Any returned tickets for the sold-out show will be available for purchase beginning on Aug. 21 via Etix.com.
More than 20 regional businesses will showcase their goods and services during the return of the Black-Owned Business Showcase at Woodland Mall on Saturday, Aug. 14 — and there are still booths available.
The event enjoyed a strong response from the local community at its debut in 2020, according to an announcement from the mall, and will again feature booths with Black-owned businesses offering fashion apparel, food, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, kitchen items, gifts, stationery and cards, financial planning, health and wellness items, photography, home services and goods, and more.
Shoppers will be able to browse, sample, buy and connect during the day-long showcase from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“In response to strong consumer demand, we are so pleased to offer this showcase for a second consecutive year,” Mikia Ross, interim senior marketing director for Woodland Mall, said in supplied material. “We appreciate the opportunity to open the mall’s doors to support Black-owned businesses serving our community. There will truly be something for everyone at this event, and we look forward to welcoming these entrepreneurs and their companies.”
Woodland Mall is owned by PREIT, which launched its Support Black-Owned Business and Brands 365 in February as part of an ongoing effort to spotlight Black-owned entrepreneurs and brands within its portfolio of top-tier and region-leading properties in eight states.
Woodland is one of 10 PREIT properties to offer a Black-Owned Business Showcase in August. PREIT properties have hosted activities throughout the year, including art exhibits, documentary screenings and food festivals, as a way to highlight the importance of Black-owned businesses and brands.
The Grand Rapids Ballet, after a year of beautiful but somewhat distant virtual performances last season, returned to rehearsals this week as the company prepared for a 2021-22 season of live audience performances.
But before GR Ballet artistic director James Sofranko’s troupe hits the Peter Martin Wege Theatre stage with a live audience in October, when the ballet will present the appropriately title Off the Canvas program to being its 2021-22 season, the dancers will perform twice this month out-of-doors.
The Studio Park “Listening Lawn”. (Supplied)
In what the ballet is calling its “Summer Series”, it will perform “under the evening skies” at two outdoor venues, the Listening Lawn at Studio Park in downtown Grand Rapids on Aug. 14, and at the amphitheater at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park on Aug. 31.
“We are filled with gratitude that Grand Rapids Ballet is returning to live performances after more than a year away from the stage,” Sofranko said to WKTV this week, “To have the full company back in rehearsals in the studio is such a welcome sight, and our first performance back will no doubt be an emotional one.”
That first performance, at Studio Park, is expected to include on its program “Sweet By and By” and “Calling Forth”, both choreographed by Sofranko, with the latter featuring violinist Gene Hahn. Other works include “Brothers”, choreographed by Jennifer Archibald; “The Old Child” by Danielle Rowe; “Give Me” by Penny Saunders; and a preview of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Christopher Stowell (and set for full performance in April 2022).
Company dancer Gretchen Steimle, after a rehearsal this week, probably spoke for her fellow dancers as she echoed Sofranko about the “emotional” return to live audiences.
Grand Rapids Ballet company in rehearsal on Aug. 3. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“We are so excited to get back to live performances, this year has been so difficult for artists who typically perform live,” Steimle said to WKTV. “We’ve had to pivot to do these virtual (performances) … but there is nothing that can replace that shared moment of art … live with an audience. And I know that the dancers have been waiting all year to be able to share what we love to do with our audiences again.”
At both Studio Park and Meijer Gardens, there will some artistic adapting to performing outside, with or without a true stage, in often uncontrollable circumstances. But at least in one aspect, in Steimle’s opinion, there is a joyful advantage to being outside — seeing the audience. (See the video above for her discussion of performing outside.)
As far as the planning for the Summer Series, and using the outside venues, Sofranko said it is all about adapting to audiences and challenging the artistic expression that is dance.
James Sofranko, Grand Rapids Ballet artistic director. (GR Ballet)
“I am always looking for new ways to present the art of ballet to our community and the outdoor venues at Studio Park and FMG offer a unique opportunity to experience the depth and artistry of the Grand Rapids Ballet dancers,” Sofranko said.
The programs also will feature guest artists, including Hahn, associate concertmaster at the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra, at Studio Park; and Chisako Oga — an acclaimed soloist at Boston Ballet — at the Meijer Gardens performance.
The Meijer Gardens program is expected to include Archibald’s “Brothers”, “The Old Child” by Danielle Rowe, “Cold Virtues” by Adam Hougland, “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy”, and “Don Quixote” Pas De Deux with guest Oga. “Cold Virtues” will also feature the mesmerizing music of Philip Glass.
The Studio Park program on Aug. 14 will begin at 7 p.m., with general admission tickets available for $25 through Studio Park. The second program features a return to Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, on Aug. 31, also at 7 p.m., as part of the Garden’s Tuesday Evening Music Club series, free for Meijer Gardens members and included in general admission for other guests.
The 2021-22 Season will feature classical ballet favorites, including The Nutcracker,Cinderella, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and explores new favorites with contemporary works such as Off the Canvas and Jumpstart 2022.
And having learned from its season of virtual performances, and community feedback, the Grand Rapids Ballet is also is set to begin offering a “virtual season” subscription for those who wish to see the GR Ballet dancers “differently” or are unable to join in person. Additional program details and performance dates and times can be found at grballet.com/2122season. Season subscriptions are now available for the 2021-22 season starting at $139. Individual tickets will go on sale this fall.
It is just too easy to think of the UK band Squeeze and follow your mind’s 1980’s classic earworm memory lane to a song like “Tempted” — oh, you know it alright: “Tempted by the fruit of another. Tempted but the truth is discovered. …”
Still Squeeze founding members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook’s songbook — and catchy, moody hipster tunes — went deeper that that back then and goes much deeper today, as the audience at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will find out when the band stops by on Aug. 22.
If you remember the 1980s, then you remember other “can’t get our of your mind” tunes such as “Cool for Cats”, “Pulling Mussels From A Shell”, and the ultimate kick-back date song for those special “Friends” nights: “Black Coffee in Bed”. If you weren’t there, time to catch up on the caffeine kick.
(Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl even joined the band at the Bourbon & Beyond Festival in Louisville in September 2019 to perform percussion on “Black Coffee in Bed”.)
Tickets for the Meijer Gardens show are still available. For more information visit meijergardens.org.
Founding members, and hipster heart-n-soul, of Squeeze, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. (Supplied)
Squeeze was set to begin the U.S. leg of their 24-date Nomadband tour in early August with a headlining tour interspersed with 18 support dates for Daryl Hall & John Oates and will continue throughout the summer into early fall 2021.
And after more than a year of social isolation due to the COVID pandemic, and all those years playing the hits, more modern tunes, and whatever else strikes their Brit fancy, Difford and Tilbrook say they will be inspired and emotional.
“I’m so excited to be back on stage and in the thick of our wonderful set list of songs,” Difford said in supplied material. “Seeing an audience again will be inspiring and emotional, it’s been too long.”
And this Nomadland tour will feature a little something new in addition to its historic attractions.
“I think this is my most anticipated U.S. tour since our first in 1978,” Tilbrook said in supplied material. “Our great band is just getting greater and we are also welcoming Owen Biddle, who joins us from Nashville.”
History and musical journeys
Squeeze’s debut self-titled album was released in 1978 and at the height of the punk revolution, but its pop songwriting hooks and melodies were often compared to the 1960s British Invasion. The band continued, off and on stage and vinyl releases, through 1999, when the original Squeeze disbanded before reuniting in 2007 and releasing three new albums since then — 2010’s “Spot the Difference”, 2015’s “Cradle to the Grave” and 2017’s “The Knowledge” — as well as various solo projects.
The critically acclaimed ‘Cradle to the Grave’ was written as a soundtrack to Danny Baker’s BBC TV sitcom ‘Cradle To Grave’. One reviewer said “This album marked the complete and triumphant reintegration of the masterful songwriting axis of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, in a beautifully-observed series of fond vignettes about childhood, growing up and the absurdities of the ride through life we’re all on.”
The band has always been known for its live performances as well, and in 2016 they triumphed on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, with The Guardian saying they “[went] down a storm… Squeeze’s success is a pretty infectious thing.”
Aside from Difford and Tilbrook, Squeeze now features keyboardist Stephen Lange and drummer Simon Hanson (since 2007,) percussionist/back-up singer Steve Smith (vocalist for house music group Dirty Vegas) along with pedal/lap steel guitarist Melvin Duffy (who joined them for the 2019 tour) and Owen Biddle, former bassist for The Roots.
The City of Kentwood Farmers Market is seeking five competitors for its first-ever Charcuterie Challenge, described in a city statement as “a food assembly showdown using only farmers market ingredients” and slated for Thursday, Aug. 12.
Individuals who are interested in the competition must submit an online application by Monday, Aug. 9. The market will select up to five challengers out of the group of applicants to each receive $25 and 30 minutes to shop the market and assemble a one-of-a-kind charcuterie board using only those purchased ingredients.
The beauty of food will be on display and the Kentwood Farmers Market’s “Charcuterie Challenge”. (WKTV)
“Charcuterie has become such a fun, popular way to display and enjoy a variety of food,” farmers market manager Kristina Colby said in supplied material. “We are looking forward to seeing all the creative ways challengers showcase local foods found at the Kentwood Farmers Market and use the beautiful, handmade charcuterie boards Handcrafted by Fellow is suppling for the competition.”
In the French tradition, charcuterie (pronounced “shahr-ku-tuh-ree”) is the art of preparing and assembling cured meats and meat products. The idea of charcuterie has evolved over the years to include an assortment of meats, cheeses, veggies and other items.
The “friendly” competition will take place during the Farmers Market, from 5-5:30 p.m., behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE, and the boards will remain on display until 7:30 p.m. Marketgoers can watch the competitors build their boards and then vote for their favorite. The winner will receive a gift courtesy of the Kentwood Farmers Market.
Handcrafted by Fellows, a husband-and-wife duo, will be on-site selling their charcuterie boards and other handmade wood decor items. An additional 20 vendors will be at the market, from 4:30-7:30 p.m., selling staples such as fresh produce, cheese, honey, jam, bread and more. Food trucks El Jalapeño and Ohana Hawaiian Ice will also be on-site. Live music entertainment by Just Jill will be available 6-7 p.m.
In its seventh season, the Kentwood Farmers Market provides the community weekly opportunities each summer to buy a variety of goods from local vendors. This year’s market is offered every Thursday, 4:30-7:30 p.m., behind Kentwood City Hall. In addition to exploring an array of items for purchase, marketgoers can enjoy free classes and special events tied into the market’s schedule.
Other special events planned in August include: On Aug. 19, Makers and Crafters Day featuring more than 40 vendors, with a free concert at 7 p.m. featuring The Soul Syndicate; and on Aug. 26, free yoga at 6 p.m.
City of Kentwood incumbent Ward 2 commissioner Tom McKelvey finished third in a three-candidate primary election Tuesday, Aug. 3, with Jessica Ann Tyson leading the vote — but not enough to avoid a runoff — and Dan VanderMolen coming in second.
With 100 percent of City of Kentwood’s seven Ward 2 precincts counted, Tyson gained 986 votes, VanderMolen 711 and McKelvey 576, according to final unofficial results supplied by the Kent County Elections Office. Tyson’s total was not 50 percent plus 1 of the votes, which would have given her the Ward 2 seat outright.
Of the 19,867 registered voters in Ward 2, only 2,301 voters cast a ballot, or 11.58 percent, according to the county elections office.
“I am honored and humbled that Kentwood residents took the time to vote for me. To others who supported our campaign, I am thankful that you understand how passionate I am about my community,” Tyson, an owner of three local businesses, said to WKTV.
“Everyone is talking about ‘diversity’. Sad it has become a buzz word made popular to tingle ears to sound more WOKE. With more than 51,000 residents and over 80 different languages spoken, Kentwood is a beautiful melting pot. The people who live, work and play in Kentwood need an authenticity diverse representative who is already involved in the community.”
VanderMolen, who is a project coordinator for First Steps Kent, praised both McKelvey and Tyson as he looked forward to November.
“I want to thank everyone who turned out tonight in support of my unique vision for Kentwood,” VanderMolen said to WKTV. “I also want to thank Tom McKelvey for his dedication and service to the city these past four years, and Jessica Ann Tyson for the experience she’s brought to the campaign.
“The three of us might not agree on everything from a policy standpoint, but we all share a love for our community and desire to help Kentwood thrive. I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to continue having a productive, issues-focused conversation with the people of Kentwood over the next three months as we build towards the future together.”
Tyson also commented on the low voter turn out.
“With low voter turn out, it is apparent the community has voter fatigue and is tired of politics,” Tyson said to WKTV. “This is a nonpartisan race. It is directly about the residents of Kentwood. There is way too much at stake for our future, so we must not be weary now.”
Mayoral race tops ballot at November field is set
Mayor Stephen Kepley was out and about on Tuesday, primary election night — at Kentwood National Night Out events. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
In addition to the City of Kentwood Ward 2 runoff election set for the Nov. 2 non-partisan Kentwood ballot, city voters will also pick a mayor, two other council members, as well as vote on the city clerk and city treasurer positions.
Incumbent Mayor Stephen Kepley is being challenged by current City Commissioner Emily Bridson, incumbent Commissioner-At Large Betsy Artz is challenged by Leonica Riley Erwin, and two candidates will look to fill the Ward 4 seat vacated by Bridson, Clarkston Morgan and Meochia Thompson.
Running uncontested in the City of Kentwood elections is incumbent Treasurer Laurie Sheldon, and, now, incumbent City Clerk Dan Kasunic, will be unopposed as previous challenger Taylor VanderLaan is no longer on the ballot.
Mayoral candidate, and current Kentwood Commissioner, Emily Bridson was also out and about on National Night Out. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
All City of Kentwood seats are for 4-year terms.
WKTV’s We The People available to candidates
As always, WKTV Community Media’s election season candidate coverage will include our We The People candidate videos. We The People gives all candidates the opportunity to record up-to-5-minute videos using their own scripts and unedited by WKTV.
For the November election all candidates (including unopposed candidates) will be invited to record videos in September for run and posting in early October.
The Accidentals, talking to WKTV early this year, said they could not wait to leave their pandemic quiet places in their hometown of Traverse City and get back on the road — but they were productive in their time off.
“We found things that work for us and found things that didn’t work for us,” Savannah “Sav” Buist — who along with Katie Larson and Michael Dause make up The Accidentals — said to WKTV in May. “But I think it was just nice to have the time … We toured 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 … I learned to take my time, to come back to a song.”
Back on the road with their usual hectic pace of concerts across Michigan and the region, the band will be making a stop Thursday, Aug. 5, at the outdoor Kentwood Summer Concerts free series hitting the stage at 7 p.m.
And songs familiar and new will be on the set list.
The Accidentals (Supplied/Courtesy Aryn Madigan)
“Might As Well Be Gold” is one of the new songs, included on the “TIME OUT (Session 1), which was released May 7. The EP is 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 Kentwood Summer Concert Series has one more Thursday night date, a rescheduled night with The Soul Syndicate on Aug. 19.
While most of the series of concerts have been livestreamed by WKTV, contractual restrictions by the band’s record label will prevent The Accidentals from being shown live or on-demand.
All concerts will begin at 7 p.m., and conclude around 8:30 p.m., on the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair. Each concert will feature food trucks, which will have food and beverages available for purchase. Guests may also bring their own food and beer or wine.
All are also invited to visit the Kentwood Farmers Market, which overlaps with the concert schedule as the market will take place 4:30-7:30 p.m. each Thursday in front of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE.
“Democracy is about voting and it’s about a majority vote. And it’s time that we started exercising the Democratic process.”
Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow
Voters at the voting booth. (Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison)
Voting in Kentwood and Wyoming
There will be contested primary elections happening in both Kentwood and Wyoming, with a Kentwood City Commission race possibly settled, and local Democrats and Republicans set to decide who from their part will be on the ballot for a State Senate seat up for final vote in the fall. Go here for the story.
National Night Out is all about getting people out and mixing with local public service employees including police and firefighters. (NATA.org)
Night out in Kentwood
The City of Kentwood will be bustling with block parties, neighborhood events and other activities as part of the city-and-community celebration of National Night Out, a nationwide annual event that “promotes community-police partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make communities safer.” Go here for the story.
Night out in Wyoming
A change for this year’s Wyoming National Night Out event will be that the city will host two main sites — Grand Rapids First, 2100 44th St. SW, and Grace Christian University, 1011 Alden St. SW. Both locations will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. Go here for the story.
Fun fact:
71
Number of cities in Michigan which have registered to be involved in National Night Out. Source.
West Michigan residents can travel the world without even packing a suitcase at the International Festival of Holland on Saturday, Aug. 21, 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Holland Civic Center Place. This free, family-friendly community event includes award-winning performers, hands-on children’s activities, a marketplace of global goods and food trucks offering international cuisine.
The International Festival of Holland is hosted by the City of Holland’s International Relations Commission (IRC) and the International Festival Advisory Board.
“Our vision for the 2021 International Festival of Holland is to celebrate the variety of cultures living, working, and playing in our community and to create awareness of others,” said IRC Chair Alissa Wilson. “We feel the best way to do this is through everyone’s favorite things: food and music.”
The IRC is releasing a 20 Day Countdown to the International Festival, which offers activities individuals and families can do to learn about our global community, help promote the festival, and build momentum for the big day. Follow the 20 Day Countdown on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching for International Festival of Holland.
It is fitting, for many reasons, that Ani Di Franco’s just released album is titled “Revolutionary Love” — one reason being the fact that the musician and social activist has a long history of writing songs as reflections of not only her personal life but also society at large.
It is also fitting, as the audience will see Aug. 23 when Di Franco hits the stage at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, that the new release is on her Righteous Babe Records label.
Ani Di Franco. (Daymon Gardner)
With the current divisions and strife in our world, Di Franco states that “Revolutionary Love” is necessary now, for her and for the message she wants to bring.
“It’s about carrying the energy of love and compassion into the center of our social movements and making it the driving force,” Di Franco said in supplied material. “It’s about finding it within ourselves to stay curious about our opponents instead of shutting down.”
Tickets for the Meijer Gardens show are still available. Visit more information visit meijergardens.org.
Di Franco wrote many of the new tracks on the road prior to returning home to New Orleans in February 2020 — just days before the touring music businesses shut down.
While the country soon encountered COVID and solitary lives, Di Franco felt the urgent need to collaborate creatively and record the new music. After being off the road due to the pandemic, Di Franco is back on tour beginning Aug. 19, and her stop at the Fifth Third Banks Summer Concerts series will be one of her first shows. Elizabeth Moen is expected to open.
“My songs have always reflected an acute connection between my personal life and the life of my society,” Di Franco said in supplied material. “As I started to come out of dealing with years of personal hardship, I saw that my entire country was struggling with the same problems: the same themes of how much damage we do to each other and how much pain we’re carrying, and the same question of how to keep going when we’re so broken.”
Inspiration for new music came from another activist
With its exploration of so many complex emotional states — forgiveness, shame, empathy, resilience — “Revolutionary Love” opens on its title track, a “profoundly resolute” piece inspired by Sikh-American activist/filmmaker/lawyer/author Valarie Kaur.
Album cover of Ani DiFranco’s “Revolutionary Love”. (Supplied)
“A lot of the language in that song comes from Kaur’s book ‘See No Stranger’,” saidDiFranco, who connected with Kaur after watching a talk she’d given in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election.
Throughout “Revolutionary Love — the song and the collection — DiFranco hits a potent balance of determination and dreamy reflection, a dynamic that echoes one of the central lessons of Kaur’s teachings: “If we don’t push, we will die. If we don’t breathe, we will die.”
“I wanted to have these moments where, after you acknowledge all the insanity and the strife, we step back and shake off that anxiety and fear,” DiFranco said. “We all need that quiet space to reconnect with ourselves and our hope.”
A little history, a little video
While sometimes considered a feminist icon, Grammy winner Ani Di Franco is the mother of the DIY recording movement, being one of the first artists to create her own record label in 1990. While she has been known as the “Little Folksinger,” her music has embraced punk, funk, hip hop, jazz, soul, electronica and even more distant sounds.
Her collaborators have included everyone from Utah Phillips to legendary R&B saxophonist Maceo Parker to Prince. She has shared stages with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Greg Brown, Billy Bragg, Michael Franti, Chuck D. and many more.
Di Franco also recently released “Revolutionary Love: Live at Big Blue”, a 95-minute concert documentary film from herself, Terence Higgins and special guest Ivan Neville, and is available for download and on CD via the Righteous Babe store and Bandcamp.
But, heck, see the Righteous Babe live if you can.
Mary Beth Quillin echoed what many performers and actors are saying right now: “We’re excited to be back.”
Quillin and partner, both on and off the staff, Gary E. Mitchell, make up the company GEM Theatrics. The two will be returning to the performance stage next week, presenting one of their popular shows, “My Dearest Friend,” the story of founding father John Adams and his wife Abigail. The show will run Aug. 6-8 and 13 and 14 at the Lowell Arts Gallery, 223 W. Main St., Lowell.
“Originally we were invited to perform because for the LowellArts getting performers and crew in the summer can be difficult due to vacations and summer activities,” Quillin said of last year’s scheduled performance. She said LowellArts decided to bring in GEM Theatrics because the duo brought their own sets, costumes and actors requiring LowellArts to cover lighting and crew.
Also, Quillin said, the GEM Theatrics’ set fits nicely into the LowellArts Gallery, which is currently featuring the summer exhibit SOLO Together. The exhibit features the work of eight Michigan artists and represents a number of different media styles including painting, photography, mixed media sculpture, metal sculpture, mixed media drawing, tissue paper collage, and woodblock prints.
“Basically, people could still walk around the gallery and be able to look at the art,” Quillin said.
GEM Theatrics is a local theater company that has performed around West Michigan. In fact, Quillin’s and Mitchell’s name might be familiar to some as Quillin recently directed two Jewish theater productions including the December taped production “Kunstler,” which featured Mitchell in the title role.
Gary E. Mitchell as John Adams and Mary Beth Quillin as Abigail Adams in “My Dearest Friend.” (Photo by Scott Baisden)
“So we have been doing things,” Quillin said, adding that it is nice to be able to get back into a theater space and present a show.
“My Dearest Friend,” written by local playwright Mary G. Kron, is based on the letters between John and Abigail Adams. Prolific letter writers, the couple’s story is told through flashback as they witness the American Revolution and the birth of a nation. “My Dearest Friend” is a featured performance in the Michigan Arts and Humanities Touring Directory.
The production will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday with playwright Kron attending for an audience talk back about the play. Advanced tickets are $18/general admission and $16/LowellArts members. At the door, tickets are $2 more. For tickets, call 616-897-8545.
If you were thinking about getting tickets to see St. Cecilia Music Center’s first live folk concert in more than 18 months, Grammy award winning singer/songwriter Marc Cohn’s twice rescheduled visit on Aug. 21, the venue has a deal for you.
To mark the first live show since March 2020, St. Cecilia announced this week that tickets to Cohn’s performance were available with a “buy one, get one free” offer. The deal is only good through Friday, July 30, however.
Marc Cohn concert tickets are $40 and $45 and can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online at scmc-online.org.
Since Cohn was last at St. Cecilia, in Spring 2017, he has spent time on the road with legendary Michael McDonald, worked closely with David Crosby and other American music greats including soul survivor William Bell, who won his first Grammy at age 78 with Marc’s help in creating Bell’s celebrated album, “This is Where I Live”.
In August 2019, just months before the pandemic shutdown and his originally scheduled visit to St. Cecilia, Cohn released a soul/gospel/pop album “Work to Do”, along with Grammy Award winners Blind Boys of Alabama. The album’s collection “combined Cohn’s unique vocal and songwriting talents with the sanctified genius of these veteran gospel stars,” according to supplied material.
Cohn originally rose to musical fame when he won the Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” and since that time he has solidified his place as one of this generation’s “most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man,” according to supplied material.
No less of a singer/songwriter than Bonnie Raitt reportedly said, “Marc is one of the most soulful, talented artists I know. I love his songs, he’s an incredible singer, and I marvel at his ability to mesmerize every audience he plays for.”
The City of Kentwood will be bustling with block parties, neighborhood events and other activities Tuesday, Aug. 3, as part of the city-and-community celebration of National Night Out, a nationwide annual event that “promotes community-police partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make communities safer.”
According to information provided by the city, National Night Out encourages people to turn their porch lights on and come outside to meet their neighbors, as well as community leaders, police and fire department personnel who will be out and about. The city also “encourages residents to continue to follow current public health guidelines.”
Kentwood police officers, firefighters and city leaders will join residents at more than 15 gatherings, most of which will take place between 6-8 p.m. Residents will have the opportunity to explore police cruisers, fire engines and other emergency response vehicles at events, as well as learn about a variety of safety topics.
“Positive interactions with residents are invaluable for fostering strong community relationships and safer neighborhoods,” Kentwood Police Chief Richard Roberts said in supplied material. “National Night Out creates a wonderful opportunity to bring officers and community members together in a fun and relaxing setting. Members of our department always look forward to getting to know residents better and encourage more open lines of communication.”
The Kentwood Police Department will once again partner with Woodland Mall to offer community members an up-close look at police vehicles inside the mall, from 3-5 p.m. Shoppers will be able to learn about and explore a police cruiser and motorcycle and enjoy giveaways.
In addition, several community-based events will be hosted throughout the evening and feature a variety of free activities, including appearances from McGruff the Crime Dog. Among the major event locations are:
Ada Bible Church, 1640 East Paris Ave. SE, which will offer food and activities from 5-8 p.m.
Faith Baptist Church, 1412 44th St. SE, which will have food trucks, live bands and prizes from 7-9 p.m.
Pentecostals Church, 2627 44th St. SE, which will host a party from 6-8 p.m., featuring a bounce house, food and games.
“National Night Out’s message of neighborhood connections and the importance of caring for one another is right in line with Kentwood’s community effort,” Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley said in supplied material. “The City’s leadership team is looking forward to a fun evening connecting with residents, celebrating community and learning about ways we can work together to keep Kentwood a wonderful and safe place to call home.”
More information about National Night Out events in Kentwood is available at kentwood.us/NNO.
National Night Out was created in the 1980s through an established network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, crime prevention associations and volunteers across the nation. It began with a goal to promote safer, better neighborhoods by uniting community members and police against neighborhood crimes.
It is no coincidence that guitarist and vocalist David Gerald likes to call his tight, taught guitar-bass-drum group a “Power Trio” — seeing him on video, hearing him on vinyl, tells you he knows that his hometown Detroit blues, R&B and rock sound is all about bringing the power to the stage.
Which, we can assume, he and his trio will do, Thursday, July 29, as they visit the outdoor Kentwood Summer Concert free series for a 7 p.m. gig.
Gerald also knows all about the blues, coming from a family that lived it, and grabbing the power, from a father who grabbed it.
Gerald is the son of rural Mississippi born and raised parents, and while he was born in Detroit, the youngest of 11 children, six of his siblings were born and partly raised in Mississippi.
David Gerald. (Courtesy of David Gerald)
“Because segregation and racial discrimination were so bad in Mississippi at the time, my dad moved the family north to Detroit when he was 33, so we’d have a better chance at the American dream,” Gerald said in supplied material.
And Gerald’s version of the American Dream is playing his beloved Detroit-sound music — what he calls “blues-infused rock and soul hybrid” — with his lead guitar a central figure since he first pickup one up at age 14.
“I was lucky enough to have a neighbor who was a guitarist and gave me scrap guitars. I would piece them together and build ‘Frankenstein’ guitars,” Gerald said. “They were horrible to play and sounded bad, but I had to play music. It was and is my destiny. I finally scraped up enough money to buy an old amp and I was happy.”
After cutting his teeth and honing his guitar skills in the 1980s, he says he began to explore the music of blues guitar heavyweights like Albert King, ZZ Hill, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan — and his sound “evolved and expanded to where it is today.”
His 2009 debut CD, “Hell And Back,” reached #1 on Roots Music Report’s Blues Chart for Michigan based artists and remained in the top 20 for many weeks in a row. His newest album, “N2U”, was released in April 2018.
“N2U” had “been a long time coming,” he said. “I put together these songs for myself, my friends and supporters. It’s all about new thoughts, new experiences and deeply felt emotions. I hope everyone who listens can find something that touches them. Something they can relate to.”
For more information on the David Gerald Band, visit davidgerald.com.
The Kentwood Summer Concert Series has two more Thursday night dates: The Accidentals on Aug. 5 and a rescheduled night with The Soul Syndicate on Aug. 19.
Concerts will be livestreamed by WKTV for those who would prefer to enjoy the performances from home.
Before the music starts, get a little treat at Kentwood Farmers Market. (WKTV/K/D. Norris)
All concerts will begin at 7 p.m., and conclude around 8:30 p.m., on the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair. Each concert will feature food trucks, which will have food and beverages available for purchase. Guests may also bring their own food and beer or wine.
All are also invited to visit the Kentwood Farmers Market, which overlaps with the concert schedule as the market will take place 4:30-7:30 p.m. each Thursday in front of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE.
