 A collaborative moment on Saturday's stage last year The Michigan Irish Music Festival annual St. Patrick’s Party will be held this weekend March 16 and 17 at the Bella Maria Ristorante & Event Center, 513 West Pontaluna Road, Norton Shores, MI. The party will feature live entertainment both nights. Headliners Jimmy Keane and Dennis Cahill have played together for over 30 years and are considered two of the most inventive musicians in iris music today. Keane is an all-Ireland star on the piano accordion, and Cahill has been recognized as one of the finest guitarists in traditional Irish music. Other highlights of the event include performances by Brother Crowe, a Detroit-based duo who plays Indie folk music in a traditional Celtic style, and traditional Irish dance performances from the Ardan Academy of Dance. Additionally, a silent auction will be held each night with a variety of items that guests will not want to miss! Back by popular demand is McGovern’s Corned Beef and Irish fare, plus Irish soda bread and soft pretzels from the Village Baker. Pigeon Hill Brewing Company’s MI Irish Stout, Magner's Irish Cider, Irish cream, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Budweiser products will also be served. Doors open at 5:30 pm both nights with music starting at 6pm. Tickets are available at the door for $8, and kids 12 and under get in for free. The mission of the Michigan Irish Music Festival is to produce a quality Midwest Irish Music Festival that promotes Irish culture and heritage while enhancing the community through entertainment, tourism, education and philanthropy. The festival is proud to support Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry and Kids’ Foot Basket with gifts of non-perishable food items and cash donations. In 2017, due to the success of the St. Pat’s Party and the Festival, the Michigan Irish Music Festival was able to donate 4,620 pounds of food and over $49,000 back to the community. The Michigan Irish Music Festival will return this fall, September 13-16, 2018, at Heritage Landing in downtown Muskegon. The festival kicks off with a Pub Party on Thursday, September 13th. The festival and the St. Patrick’s Party are sponsored by G&L, Budweiser, Van's Car Wash & Quick Lube, and Family Financial Credit Union. For complete festival information, visit www.michiganirish.org.  Delilah and Lee cuttin' loose By Ken DeLaat
Delilah DeWylde blew into town Saturday night with a show that celebrated the rockabilly sound as she shared both historical references and some mighty fine music from the Black Box stage. Ms. D’s show has evolved since we last saw her perform, a lapse of time we are committed to not have happen again given the level of jollification her shows produce. With a clever backdrop of photos channeling the era she musically references, Delilah stormed through a delightful series of rockabilly classics. Some of her numbers were familiar selections while others were written and recorded by unsung heroes of the genre, fascinating folks she used short vignettes to describe in an entertaining and relevant to the music manner. Beyond her abundance of talent and dominating stage presence Ms. D has a genuine passion for the distinctive and groundbreaking sound that gave birth to Rock and Roll.Whether sharing an anecdote about a favored songwriter of the era or delivering on their music with her personal touch etched into it DeWylde exudes a deep regard and abiding respect for this pioneering blend of old style country and rhythm and blues. She busted out her first set with some early Elvis a little Buddy Holly and some Johnny Cash while tossing in some names like Wayne Walker and Janet Martin and other artists who breathed life into the rockabilly movement. After delivering on an original tune “You Ain’t The Only Game In This Old Town” the trio hit intermission at full speed with the Cash classic “I Walk The Line” and Holly’s “That’ll Be The Day”. Returning, the band ran through a number of hits from the era with “That’s Alright Mama”, “Peggy Sue”, “Hot Rod Lincoln”, Folsom Prison”, “Crazy”, and “Blue Suede Shoes” submitted for rousing approval. It was a mixed crowd with both Delilah ‘veterans’ as well as some first timers sharing in what proved to be a highly entertaining evening. Among them were Gary and Gloria Switzer who were celebrating a half century of marriage with family and friends at the concert. The always affable Ms. D called them out to a makeshift dance floor while she crooned the Patsy Cline classic “I Fall to Pieces” She also revealed a bit of a Fremont connection citing a few decades ago when her Grandparents moved there to work at Gerber while her Dad was growing up and she recalled coming to the town for ‘Old Fashioned Days’. The band looks a bit minimalist with just Johnny HiWatt on snare drum, Lee Harvey on guitar and Delilah with her stand up bass, yet don’t be deceived. The tuneful trio captures a richness of sound and allows ample room for the substantial talent of Mr. Harvey to be front and center. The guitarist reveals a wide range of instrumental influence and delivers in a manner that appears to downplay the degree of difficulty his work requires. Kudos to the Dogwood Center for bringing Ms. D back. She is a popular figure in these parts and with good reason. Her shows are fun. Way fun.  Astronomer Dr. David Gerdes on the possibility of a ninth planet
Grand Rapids-Is there a ninth planet after all? The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) and Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association (GRAAA) hosts Dr. David Gerdes, one of the lead astronomers searching for the ninth planet, on Thursday, March 15 at Schuler Books. There was a great deal of controversy when Pluto was officially removed as a planet in 2006, and it has not completely died down in the more than a decade that has elapsed since its demotion. Now there is growing evidence that a much larger planet lies beyond Pluto, and its discovery would mean that the solar system has nine planets again. On Thursday, March 15 at 7 p.m., Dr. Gerdes will explain his latest research in a presentation The Coolest Place in the Solar System: New Worlds Beyond Neptune, located at Schuler Books, 2660 28th St. SE. The event is free and open to the public. As one of the leading astronomers searching for a ninth planet, Dr. Gerdes is a well-known Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Michigan. Gerdes is currently located in Chile and utilizes a large telescope for his research. There may be more than one additional planet lurking beyond Neptune. As Dr. Gerdes will explain, whatever is out there is so far away that any reflected sunlight would be very feeble, so its detection involves study of how its gravity effects other objects lying near the fringes of the solar system. These would include Pluto and other Kyper Belt objects. Dr. Gerdes believes telescopes may now be big enough to detect worlds beyond Neptune if they knew where to look. He and colleagues are making calculations that will tell astronomers where to point telescopes to search. An announcement of a major discovery could be coming in the next few years.  The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will open their doors free of charge on Sunday, March 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. thanks to sponsorship from Kent County Farm Bureau. Visitors will receive free general admission on this day to explore the Museum’s three floors of core exhibits at no cost, and get hands on with agriculture-themed activities from Kent County Farm Bureau and artifacts from the GRPM Collections. “Thanks to Kent County Farm Bureau, we are excited to offer the community the chance to explore the Museum free of charge again this year,” said Kate Moore, Vice President of Marketing & PR at the GRPM. “The GRPM continues to be the West Michigan hub for hands-on science, history and cultural education, and continue to increase access to the Collections for all.” “On behalf of more than 1,200 Kent County Farmers, Kent County Farm Bureau is excited to welcome our City family and friends to the Grand Rapids Public Museum to see agriculture in action,” said Jim May, Kent County Farm Bureau Board President. The GRPM offers fun, hands-on learning opportunities for all ages through a variety of core and traveling exhibits. Visitor favorites include the Streets of Old Grand Rapids, an immersive exhibit that transports visitors back to 19th century of downtown Grand Rapids, and West Michigan Habitats, that showcases the vast wildlife found in West Michigan. The current traveling exhibit Water’s Extreme Journey will be included free of charge for visitors on the Museum’s Free Day! Visitors will become a water droplet as they enter an experiential maze to learn about water conservation. Additional experiences for visitors include the special traveling exhibit Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, planetarium shows and the Museum’s 1928 Spillman Carousel - that are available for an additional charge. The free day will be held during the Museum’s normal hours, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 18. For more information on the event, visit grpm.org.  By N3 Entertainment Team It is indeed a glorious weekend coming toward us folks. For one, well, it’s the weekend. For another, at some point in the wee hours of Sunday a.m. the magic occurs. Yes the clocks all simultaneously move up an hour seriously putting a dent into the belief system of those denyers who refuse to believe in time travel. After all, we move an hour into the future each March and in the fall travel back in time to a not so distant past ( also an hour). But let us move on to more important items of business. We at N3 World Headquarters and Loon Layover are aware of a pair of euphonious events arriving in our area in the next few days. Events one would do well to look into as a little musical respite from the monotony that is March. Delilah DeWylde (Saturday 7:30pm) is simply one of the most entertaining acts in West Michigan. Ms. D and her band produce some of the finest Rockabilly sound to be found. Unfamiliar with the genre? We’re talking Americana here. Most music historians would agree that the roots, perhaps the very soul of rock and roll lies in the Rockabilly sound that blended traditional country music with a southern influenced rhythm and blues to create a hybrid sound that captured young and old. Well, mostly young. We’re talking Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and even a little early Elvis. And Double D brings it home like no other we’ve seen in these parts. In two previous stops at the Dogwood she came out blasting and energized the audience with her stylish stage presence and sumptuous selection of tunes. This one is pure unadulterated fun.The Black Box club-like venue means you can grab a table and an adult beverage and channel yourself back to a 50’s Honky Tonk atmosphere (minus a cloud of smoke perhaps). An evening with Delilah and her boys will smack a smile on that waitin’-for-Spring attitudinal stance and send you home with her toe tapping tunes still resonatin’. What? The Grand Rapids Symphony? Here? In Newaygo County? My dear, where have you been? This world-class orchestra makes an annual visit to our parts and they’re arriving Wednesday March 14th (next week) at the NMain Stage of the Dogwood Center for what is perennially a stunning display of musical talent and a feast of classical favorites. Here’s the best thing. Always wanted to try hitting the symphony for a show? Maybe you’re just wanting to explore new musical tastes, or perhaps you’ve become a budding fan of classical sound or you might even be an avid aficionado well acquainted with composers and time honored tunes who has never taken the step to see the wonderful GRS live and on stage. Should you decide to make the trip to GR after paying for parking and gas to and from a seat at DeVos will run from $18 (cheap seat section, bring your binocs) to about $100 for a more up-close view. Well, thanks to support from The Fremont Area Community Foundation and Nestle/Gerber you can have those up-close seats at our valued local venue for $17.50. In fact ou can have any seat in the house for the same price. Bringing a young one to broaden their vision of music? 5 bucks. And we’re not talking 4 or 5 years old and younger here. This is 18 and under so you could bring 4 teenagers with you for a mere 20 bucks. Ok ok, our thrifty (some say cheap) mindset likes this for all the usual reasons because we at N3WH adore a bargain and this one is an entertainment steal. But the music is nothing short of amazing. Tickets for both shows are available online at www.dogwoodcenter.com, at the Dogwood Box Office, or at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Tuesday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. For information, phone 231.924.8885. Now, before these shows? Make it a date night and take in one of our fine local eatatoriums for a little pre-concert nosh (see our Nibbler section). In fact make a pact to do a little out-dining this weekend because we all want to keep our local food folks busy. N3WH is thinking a little breakfast at the Moondance Cafe, maybe a pizza lunch and a cold one at Newaygo Brewing Co. and at some point a slice of the cheesecake at Red Anchor. I know, it seems like a lot, but we feel up to the task. Carry on Near Northians.  Suggestion Box is sponsored by Newaygo Brewing Co. a place to find good food, good dtrnk, good people, and good times.  Huldah Neal led an interesting life and is shown here in her later years. As the nation’s first female game warden, Neal patrolled Grand Traverse County on foot, horseback and in a rowboat to enforce the state’s fish and game laws. She not only had an immediate impact on the rampant poaching that plagued her area, but also opened the door for future generations of women to serve as conservation officers. By all accounts, Huldah Neal was no one to fool with.That’s not to say she wasn’t liked or respected throughout Grand Traverse County, Michigan, which she called home for 70 years. In fact, her 1931 obituary mourned her loss, describing Neal as a “loved pioneer” who was “highly esteemed by a large circle of friends.” But, Neal was the epitome of what contemporary newspapers referred to as “the new woman” of the 1890s. Civic-minded and socially engaged, Neal had little patience when problems were ignored and allowed to fester. So, while it probably raised eyebrows outside of Grand Traverse County, those who knew her likely weren’t surprised when she grew frustrated by the rampant poaching of fish and game in her area and requested an appointment as a game warden, so she could handle the problem herself. With the stroke of a pen by state game warden and future Michigan governor Chase Osborn in 1897, Neal became a deputy game warden for Grand Traverse County, cementing her little-known legacy as the first female conservation officer in the United States, according to press reports of the day. To recognize her contributions, and mark the observance of March as Women’s History Month, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division is nominating Neal for induction to the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. A panel of judges will decide if she merits induction later this year. “Huldah Neal was a trailblazer, literally and figuratively,” said Gary Hagler, DNR Law Enforcement Division chief. “She was fearless in the way she performed her dangerous duties, and in how she broke free from typical roles that society forced on women at that time. She paved the way for new generations of women who proudly serve as guardians of our natural resources. Huldah Neal left a positive legacy for our state. On behalf of all conservation officers, it’s a privilege to nominate her for induction to the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.” Born circa 1855 in Ohio, Huldah Jane Valleau moved with her family to Grand Traverse County in 1861. She married Warren Neal in 1872 and the couple raised two children on their farm near Long Lake. She shared her husband’s love of the outdoors, a passion that didn’t go unrecognized by newspapers reporting on her appointment as deputy game warden. “Mrs. Neal is a woman of determined character, and has excellent qualifications for such a position,” the Traverse City Record-Eagle wrote on June 6, 1897. “She is an active woods-woman, a good shot, and can give cards and spades to any man in the manipulation of the fishing rod. Besides being an expert in these respects Mrs. Neal is an ardent supporter of the state game and fish laws, and takes much interest in their preservation. The appointment is a good one, and Mrs. Neal will wage an aggressive campaign against violators of the law; and offenders in her locality will find that Mrs. Neal will stand no fooling.” Neal’s appointment generated statewide and national attention, including an extensive write-up in the Aug. 15, 1897, Philadelphia Inquirer. After all, “The duties of game warden are of such a nature that many men would not care to undertake to fill the position,” the Inquirer said.  These sketches of Huldah Neal accompanied a profile of her in the Aug. 15, 1897, edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Neal’s appointment as the country’s first female game warden made news across Michigan and the nation. Many contemporary reports expressed confidence in her abilities to perform the dangerous work of a game warden, due to her tenacity and outdoor skills. News coverage in that era was quite a departure from the social and journalistic norms of today, as evidenced by descriptions of Neal as a “plucky little woman” and the expressed amazement that she “wears pantaloons just like those of men and can handle the rifle like a veteran marksman.”
Press accounts also credited Neal for having an immediate impact on fish and game law violations. “She is energic and watchful, and already poaching has begun to diminish. The worst gang of law violators have ceased operations,” the Jackson, Michigan, newspaper reported in March 1898. Hagler said Neal faced many of the same risks that confront today’s DNR conservation officers. “Patrolling remote areas without nearby backup assistance always has been an occupational hazard of being a conservation officer,” Hagler said. “It’s still true today, even with modern vehicles, weapons and communications. The fact that Huldah Neal carried out her duties on horseback, in rowboats and without communications equipment makes her accomplishments even more impressive.” In addition to her game warden’s duties, Neal was a community fixture, even delivering mail three times a week to Traverse City. Today, after leading a productive life that bettered her community and raised the ceiling for other women, Neal rests with her husband in Long Lake Township’s Linwood Cemetery. It would be 80 years before Michigan hired its next female conservation officer. Marquette native Kathryn Bezotte became Michigan’s first of the modern era when she began her duties in 1977. Today, nearly 20 women patrol Michigan’s woods and waters as conservation officers. Neal and Bezotte were pioneers in their own right. They opened the door for subsequent generations of women who have served their state by earning the right to wear the badge and uniform of a Michigan conservation officer.  By Charles Chandler
Ed. note: Mr Chandler continues his series on the Oscar nominees and also shares some thoughts the film brought forth. Moviegoers before you see The Post you should watch The Vietnam War the recently televised documentary directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. This documentary provides factual and graphic details about the Vietnam War and illustrates why the “Pentagon Papers” were so revealing and why such efforts were made by the government to keep them secret. In my humble opinion, two Academy Award nominations for “The Post” is one too many. Meryl Streep's portrayal of Kay Graham, socialite, and Publisher of the family-owned Washington Post newspaper, is Oscar-worthy, but not so for best Picture, sorry Mr. Spielberg. “The Post” is a timely movie and story about an epic struggle between the right of the free presses to print the Pentagon Papers and efforts to prevent that happening by members of the White House, and the Courts.Papers which will expose the fact that past presidents and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara knew by 1965 that the Americans could not win a military victory in Vietnam. The movie drama ramps up after Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) takes a hike with thousands of pages of secret documents containing years of confidential and revealing information about lies the government had told the American people about the Vietnam War. Now after about six years and thousands of US soldiers casualties, the truth of what was known about the futility of the war and the decisions that were made to keep the Americans in the war is about to be revealed by the New York Times. The Times broke the story but the U.S. District Court at the request of the Nixon Administration quickly issued an order to cease further publication. Next, the Washington Post steps into the fray when Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk) contacted one of his sources and soon The Post has possession of the same secret documents that the courts forbid the Times to publish. If they ran the story, not only could The Post go out of business but the owners and staff could be arrested for treason. The two principles of the story are Kay Graham (Meryl Streep), the struggling publisher of the Post and editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks). Kay is caught between her traditional values and belief that friends, family and old school ties are more important than running a newspaper. She is also constantly surrounded by her snarling pack of advisors and senior staffers (all men) who think she as a woman is incapable of making the right decision for the business or the newspaper. This is a coming of age story for dithering, socialite Kay and the most brilliant, dramatic and emotional moment in the movie is when the Post’s editor Ben Bradlee goes to Kay Graham home where she is having a dinner party and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara is one of her guests. Editor Bradlee does not dither and argues for publishing the Pentagon Papers and taking the consequences come what may. He points out that Kay cannot live in two worlds, either she can step back into that comfortable dinner party in the room behind her or she can take charge of her destiny and become a newspaperwoman in charge of a great newspaper. Soon her advisors and senior staffers also crash her party and Kay is cornered by this pack of baying hounds. Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide Kay must choose. Now for a bit of finger-wagging and restating the obvious. As mentioned this is a timely movie and it is strongly recommended that we all watch this movie with a bit of introspection. Government dishonesty and secrets have always existed, and kings, dictators, tyrants, and duly elected officials will always try to discredit or manipulate the fourth estate. As mentioned this movie is timely because the current administration is at war with the press and their frequent and overt dishonesty is both shameful and pointless. They have created their own brand name “Fake News” for the content they dislike. It was fascinating to see an old-style print newspaper developed and distributed, but make no mistake that media is dead, so dithering about whether to publishing something has been made irrelevant in our current political environment. Today's mainstream or social media has surely taken sides and be it CNN, Fox, NPR, Breitbart, The Post, Foreign propagandist or any individual with the computer can publish anything. It also appears that this is done without source or fact-checking and often with little fear of penalty. To go further down this road, Tribalism is alive and well and on this issue, it appears we are doing what we always do when our self-affirming cultural environment is challenged or threatened. We circle the wagons around our philosophy, beliefs, tribes, team or party and the leaders of same, often abandoning our espoused values in order to cheer our teams on or follow the party agenda. For many, strong, free and fair presses are just as important for maintaining our democracy as the armed forces. Commercial and social media content producers and we as consumers must resolve this question: Have facts and truth become irrelevant or been superseded by the team cheer or party line? So what will it be? Like it was for Kay Graham as Publisher of The Post, now is our time to choose. Epilogue: “New York Times Co. v. The United States, 403 U.S. 713 (1971)[1], was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the First Amendment. The ruling made it possible for The New York Times and The Washington Post newspapers to publish the then-classified Pentagon Papers without risk of government censorship or punishment. President Richard Nixon had claimed executive authority to force the Times to suspend publication of classified information in its possession. The question before the court was whether the constitutional freedom of the press, guaranteed by the First Amendment, was subordinate to a claimed need of the executive branch of government to maintain the secrecy of information. The Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment did indeed protect the right of The New York Times to print the materials.” “While he never issued a formal apology for his role in the quagmire, Robert McNamara, who died in July 2009 at age 93, made clear he was haunted by the blunders made under his watch that cost the lives of thousands of U.S. troops.”People don't want to admit they made mistakes," he explained to the New York Times. "This is true of the Catholic Church, it's true of companies, it's true of nongovernmental organizations and it's certainly true of political bodies."  The Grand Rapids Symphony returns to the Dogwood Center on Wednesday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. for a sure to be incredible performance! Join us and you will experience a world-class orchestra performing for you live at the Dogwood! The Grand Rapids Symphony was officially organized in 1930 and is recognized as one of America’s leading regional orchestras. The Grand Rapids Symphony presents more than 400 performances each year, touching the lives of some 200,000. Nearly half of those who benefit are students, senior citizens and people with disabilities reached through extensive education and community service programs. Their mission is “to share great music that moves the human soul”…..and that is what they will be doing right here in Newaygo County! The evening includes Newaygo County youth artwork showcased prior to the performance and at intermission. The performance is funded in part by Fremont Area Community Foundation and Nestle Nutrition/Gerber Products. Tickets are $17.50 for adults, $5 children 18 and under and seating is reserved. Tickets are available online at www.dogwoodcenter.com, at the Dogwood Box Office, or at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Tuesday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. For information, phone 231.924.8885. |
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