Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
It might be a little cloudy this weekend, but that should not stop anyone from venturing out. And there is plenty to do with ArtPrize rolling in this week.
So to help fill your weekend calendar, here are just a few things we spotted that we thought you might enjoy:
Thursday, Sept. 22: ArtPrize kicked off on Wednesday and you have until Oct. 9 to see it all. The radically open international art competition is mostly located in downtown Grand Rapids and is walkable. New are eight ArtPrize Hubs serving as welcoming centers and voter registration. The hubs are Center City Hub @ GRAM, 101 Monroe Center NW; Heartside Hub @ UICA, 2 W. Fulton St.; Hillside Hub @ Women’s City Club, 254 E. Fulton St.; Rumsey Street Hub @SiTE:LAB, 333 Rumsey St. SW; Monroe North Hub @ DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave. NW; Westside Hub @ the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW; Meijer Gardens Hub, 1000 E. Beltline NE; and the ArtPrize Hub/Headquarters at 41 Sheldon Blvd SE.
Round one voting ends Oct 1 with the final 20 announced Oct. 2. (Note only two entries per venue will be allowed to advance to the top 20.) Round 2 voting ends Oct. 6 with the winners announced Oct. 7. For more information, visit artprize.org.
Friday, Sept. 23: The Grand Rapids Symphony kicks off its Pops season with the concert “The Piano Men,” featuring pianist Jim Witter. The concert, which is at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave. NW, will feature some of the most popular hits of Billy Joel and Elton John accompanied by a multi-media musical journey. Tickets are $90 – $15. For more information, visit grsymphony.org.
Saturday, Sept. 24: David Lindsay-Abairee’s play “Good People,” about the struggles of the lower middle class, wraps up its run at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre this weekend. Showtime for tonight is at 7:30 p.m. at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave. The last show is Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $28 – $16. For more, check out the review by Susanne Ablaitis or visit grtc.org.
Of you can head over to Caledonia for the Harvest Festival from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Hosted by the Caledonia Area Chamber of Commerce, this family-friendly event includes a hayride, pumpkin decorating, a hay maze, face painting, games, music, an antique tractor display, food samples from area restaurants and a baked goods sale by the Caledonia Women’s Club. There is also a Scarecrow Contest. For more information, visit www.caledoniachamber.com/harvestfestival.
Sunday, Sept. 25: Loren Barrigar and Mark Mazengarb bring their “One to One” tour to Grand Rapids Wealthy Theater, 1110 Wealthy St. SE. Barrigar and Mazengarb share a musical chemistry and stage presence seldom found around musicians. The duo’s repertoire constants of original and arranged music of guitar instrumentals and vocal duets. They have been influenced by Americana, Jazz, Country Western, and Classical music. The two perform at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit Wealthy Theatre’s website.
BONUS EVENT: Dorr’s New Salem Corn Maze will be hosting its annual Wusrt Festival Ever this weekend with lots of music and fun. This Friday is the country/southern bands No One’s Home, Double Barrel and Dani Jamerson. Saturday, gates open at 11 a.m. with a host of activities such as the Human Hamster Ball Race and live music starting at 4 p.m. The Outer Vibe caps off the two-day event with a performance from 9:30 p.m. to dusk. Tickets are $5/Friday and $10/Saturday. Also all the haunted attractions start that weekend as well. For more information, visit www.newsalemcornmaze.com.
