Tag Archives: WOOD TV

Radio personality Buck Matthews makes stop at First & Main on farewell tour

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Buck Matthews

Once known as the voice of West Michigan, Buck Matthews is on his farewell tour offering one last piece of advice: write down and share your stories.

 

Matthews will be at First & Main of Metro Health Village, 6812 Village Dr. SW, Wednesday, May 9, to talk about his latest book, “The Book in Each of Us.” The program is at 2 p.m. In the book, Matthews discuss the experience of writing and encourages others to do the same to share their stories.

 

Matthews started his career as a disc jockey at a radio station in Marine City, which he took while serving in the U.S. Air Force. In 1961, Matthews was hired as a weatherman for WOOD Radio and WOOD-TV. Ten years later, he launched “The Buck Matthews Show,” which aired weekday mornings on WOOD-TV. The show ran for nine years and featured an array of guests such as poet Maya Angelou, comedians Red Skelton and Phyllis Diller, and musicians Benny Goodman, Pat Boone, Dave Brubeck, and Pearl Bailey.

 

After retiring from Blue Lake Radio in 1995, Matthews decided to write a book which he did. “Uncommon Women — A Novel” was released on Amazon Kindle. 

 

In 2015, Matthews released his third book, “Getting Here: Thoughts, Stories, Poems, Recollections,” focusing on life in local television and radio and Matthews reflecting on his life plan, which there was none.

 

Matthews continue to write about his observations on life through his blog, buckmatthews.com.

The splash pads are open! The splash pads are open!

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Just in time for the 80-degree weather, the City of Wyoming announced this morning that its splash pads will open today.

 

The splash pads are located at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St SW; Oriole Park, 1380 42nd St. SW; and Southlawn Park, 4125 Jefferson SW. They are open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Labor Day.

 

The City of Wyoming’s splash pads are one of the many reasons that WOOD TV’s Maranada has kicked off her Park Parties at Wyoming’s Lamar Park for the past several years. According to Maranda, the park also offers excellent parking, wide open space with the park’s splash pad providing a place to help children and families cool off on hot summer days.

 

Maranda comes to Lamar Park on June 22. She will bring the Park Party to Kentwood July 13 at the East Kentwood High School, 6230 Kalamazoo Ave. SE. The Wyoming and Kentwood events are the only Park Parties scheduled this year for the Greater Grand Rapids area with the rest being in Muskegon, Kalamazoo, and Holland.

 

Once again, in working with USDA, Michigan Dept. of Ed and local school districts, free lunch will be served to anyone 18 and under starting at 11:30 a.m., while supplies last at all Park Party events. Maranda’s Park Parties have been recognized by the USDA as one of the nation’s largest summer feeding programs.

 

Park Parties run from noon – 2 p.m. at the dates listed above. Every Park Party also includes free activities, games, entertainment and, prizes.

 

For more on the Maranda Park Parties, click here. For more about the splash pads and other City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation activities and events, visit wyoming.gov and click the “Living in Wyoming” tab.