 Tropical Twist proves a winner
As we noted in a previous article NNN received some samplings from H-vile Ice Cream and while I took care of the bars (short lived as they were) my colleague Ms. M. took on the task of testing the Peach Cobbler and Topical Twist. By Alexis Mercer There is a reason why ice cream is eaten with a spoon, and as my family taste tested the new Hudsonville Ice Cream flavors, I discovered why. Had I been holding anything other than a spoon, like a fork, for example, I might have hurt someone in trying to fend them off in stealing the Tropical Twist. It was that good, and I wasn’t about to share. The Mercer household picked up two flavors of ice cream from Ken: Tropical Twist (Summer Limited Edition) and Peach Cobbler—new all-season flavor. I was super excited about both, but had no idea what to expect. Sherbet is my personal favorite “ice cream”. I choose sherbet over most ice cream flavors because I like the lightness of it, and the fruity flavor. So I kept the Tropical Twist to try second because I usually save the best for last. I scooped out Peach Cobbler for myself, but my kids weren’t super interested in trying it. They are more chocolate kind of kids. I wasn’t sad that I didn’t have to share. I took a bite with everyone in my family just watching my reaction. I paused and then smiled really big. It was so peachy! A legitimate peach flavor with peach chunks that were a good texture (for a girl who really is bothered by textures that don’t match the expectation). The surprise element was the cobbler aspect. The cobbler addition was delicious. It tasted just like a homemade cobbler made by my mom straight out of the oven…only in ice cream form. I scooped myself some more and enjoyed the whole bowl. Then on to the Tropical Twist. I took a big bowl, both my boys took a big bowl and my husband took some, too. The very first bite my eyes lit up with excitement. My older son said “Yup. Yup. Yup. This one is a winner.” And my younger son took his bowl to the table and ate it so quickly I wasn’t sure he actually scooped any in the first place. Both of them came over to where I was standing by our kitchen island and tried to get more from the tub. This is where the spoon came in handy, and where I’m thankful we don’t eat ice cream with forks. I held up my spoon and threatened to use it if they tried to take more: I would be keeping that for myself, thank you.
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 County Poetry Contest wants to see your work “Poetry addresses individuals in their most intimate, private, frightened and elated moments. People turn to poetry in times of crisis because it comes closer than any other art form to addressing what cannot be said.”- W.S. Merwin Before you go any further this is a bit of a warning for anyone dealing with metrophobia. If you are afflicted with this scourge of the literary world the next few sentences might be a tad disturbing. You see, we’re touting the Newaygo County Poetry Contest, a competition for all who appreciate the creativity involved in putting words together to express one's feelings, thoughts and ideas. Oh, and metrophobia is fear of poetry. Seriously. It’s a thing. This contest is a very cool endeavor sponsored by the Fremont Library, the Fremont Area Community Foundation and the NCCA Artsplace. It delivers an opportunity for folks to not just share their work but possibly win nice chunk of change should their poems take one of the the top prizes. Print one of those you’ve written and kept to yourself for a time or finally write that poem that has been rattling around in the inspirational part of your brain.. My hope is that a whole lot of folks throughout the county of all ages and interests will take some time to pen a bit of poetry for this competition. Think of it as striking a blow in the battle to cure metrophobia. Entries may be mailed, brought to the Fremont Area District Library, or submitted by email no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 16. Here’s the skinny on the contest: https://www.nearnorthnow.com/features-and-fun/newaygo-county-poetry-contest
 The case upon arrival  Note that both have been opened and are propped up due to excessive pre photo sampling Hudsonville rolls out some newbies just in time for the season to begin in earnest
By Ken DeLaat There are some definite perks to being part of an online news site. After all there are the press passes for local high school sports but of course you also need to write the games up for posting. There are the invitations to grand openings also requiring a write up of course, and then there are the opportunities that seem to fall out of the sky like some small miracle. Recently Near North Now received an email from Hudsonville Ice Cream asking if we were interested in sampling their new products and giving them a bit of a review. “Whoa! You mean ice cream in several incarnations delivered to my door with the requirement of giving them a try? How can this be? What did I possibly do to deserve this and I need to immediately go out and buy a lottery ticket!” A few days later the goods arrived packed with dry ice (which by the way looks very cool when you dump water on it and it returns to a gaseous state). There before us were cartons of
It was decided these tantalizing treats are just too good to be limited to a group review so over the next few days we will deliver a little critique of the products two at a time. Today we will feature the bars. Both are stick borne siblings of a pair of H-ville’s long time faves and both deliver their traditional tastes in a most convenient manner. My first venture was the Brownie Batter Cookie Dough soon after the arrival. Being a chocolaholic (pre-recovery) I was surprised that I’d never grabbed one of the cartons of this flavor before. I have a few regulars when it comes to ice cream and often vacillate between their Chocolate Almond and Toasted Coconut so not only was the bar a different twist it was a totally new taste to me. It won me over in a heartbeat. The rich flavor was evident from bite one and the stick itself held up well, holding fast to the last of the frozen treat to make for a pleasant lick to the finish. Then came the Traverse City Cherry Fudge. Look, I liked the BBCD a lot but after a bite of the TC Cherry Fudge I remembered why this flavor had been a favorite years ago and it was a welcome reunion indeed. Since the first day the bars have slowly dwindled and I must admit that once I got a taste for them I failed to ask for other volunteers. After all, what was left to say? Now here’s the thing about having these frigid treats in bar form. They appear to be the perfect amount. When I dish up on my own there’s a tendency to sometimes…well, most times…, go a bit overboard. These bars are great for that right sized treat as it left me in that space where you’re happy with what you had but not feeling you might have overindulged. On a side note, another bar benefit is how much easier it is to go undetected when you slip one of these beauts out of the freezer as opposed to requiring a bowl, a scoop and some rather noisy effort when your spousal companion might be busy working on a quilt in her sewing room.. You know, just saying…  The Chris Perondi's "Stunt Dog Experience" will perform on the Dogwood Center Main Stage on Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. Perondi has been entertaining audiences of all sizes since 1999. During this “Stunt Dog Experience” you will witness some of the most incredible stunts and behaviors ever performed by dogs. The experience has amazing tricks, big air stunts, comedy antics, dancing dogs, athletic feats, and is the most entertaining show of its kind. Join us and you will meet a cast of professional performers along with over a dozen talented pound pups. The show is one-of-a-kind and brings forth pet adoption awareness. All the dogs have been rescued from pounds and shelters from across the country. The mission is to promote animal rescue, pet adoption, and encourage people to spend more time with their pets. These stars have been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, David Letterman, the Tonight Show, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Animal Planet’s Pet Stars, the CBS Early Show, and much more. They have also starred in commercials and have been featured on the news and in magazines across the country. This performance is generously sponsored by Loving Care Animal Clinic of Fremont. Tickets are $20.00 for adults, $10.00 for children, 18 and under, or click here! The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.dogwoodcenter.com, at the Dogwood Box Office, or at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. For more information, phone 231.924.8885. The Dogwood Center is located one mile east of downtown Fremont.    Congressman John Moolenaar and Nevada Draper, the winner of the 2025 Congressional Art Competition for Michigan's Second District, and her painting, "One Generation Away."  Moolenaar with Gracie Knudsen and her painting, "Clouds over Lake Michigan." Nevada Draper takes top prize, Gracie Knudsen wins Regional honors Congressman John Moolenaar announced the winner of the 2025 Congressional Art Competition last week at a reception held at the Green Charter Township Hall. Nevada Draper, a 12th grade home schooled student from Hesperia, won the competition's grand prize with her painting, "One Generation Away." Her artwork will be placed on display at the United States Capitol for the next year where it will be viewed by visitors from around the world. Moolenaar also announced Gracie Knudsen of Newaygo High School, and Charlotte Torrez of Ludington High School as regional winners for their submissions. Gracie's painting titled "Clouds over Lake Michigan" and Charlotte's Acrylic painting titled "Animals of Michigan" will be placed on display at Congressman Moolenaar's offices in Caledonia and Clare, respectively. The Congressional Art Competition takes place annually in districts across the country where students submit original artwork. More information about the Congressional Art Competition can be found here.  Charlotte Torrez's painting, "Animals of Michigan."  Readers riff on their favorite Bar Burgers
In a totally non-scientific poll, hopefully not rife with voter fraud, we took two venues from each of 5 areas and ran a bit of a competition asking our readers to make the choice between the pairs. For the Northern sector of the county the Bitely Bar beat out the Shamrock Pub & Grill. The one comment we received in this matchup was about the Bitely Bar. “Best burger in the county” Grant/Bridgeton paired Old Iron Bar & Grill with 7 Mile Inn. Once again we only got a lone comment and it was ascribed to Grant’s favorite (and only) bar. “The blueberry sauce on the burger makes it great.” In the voting however 7 mile edged Old Iron by a single vote. In Newaygo there was another hotly contested duel that saw Sportsman's Bar emerge on top with comments like “The River Bottom Burger is delicious.” “Love the Super Sport when you want a burger but not bread.” “Great tasting patty, buns are fresh and don’t fall apart and the IPA draft is always cold and the taxidermy lets me know I’m in Michigan.” The Riverstop Saloon had their fans as well with “Always delish, never disappoints.” “Fresh off the grill flavor.” “Juicy and plenty to eat.” In Fremont The Blind Squirrel continues to hold its place as a huge favorite among burger lovers, though Brew Works made a respectable showing. The praise for the Squirrel included “Lucious.” “Innovative options.” “The Mushroom Swiss is my husband’s favorite.” The Brunch Burger is amazing.” and “The best around.” As in our pizza competition we had another tie and it was in Croton. The Driftwood and Northern Trails matched vote for vote. Driftwood fans said “Local and big.” Best flavor of beef patty.” and “Made with love.” Northern Trails folks said “Love that burger.” and “Consistently prepared well.” Once again we thank our readers for their participation. Stay tuned and send in suggestions for our next poll, The best Breakfast in the County  Photo by Jamie Geysbeek, courtesy Grand Rapids Symphony The Grand Rapids Symphony returns to the Dogwood Center on Thursday, April 17 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 evening's performance will be conducted by Assistant Conductor Duo Shen, and will feature the music of Mendelssohn, Mascagni, Borodin, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Rossini. 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! Audience members are invited to a post-performance, insightful and informative “Talk Back” session with Associate Conductor Duo Shen and GRS Director of Education Sarah Stickney in the Main Stage area! This program is funded in part by the Fremont Area Community Foundation and is sponsored by White and Associates Insurance Agency. 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, or just click here! The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Tuesday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. For information, phone 231.924.8885.  Autographed Baseballs exhibit yields a surprising find By Ken DeLaat The Grand Rapids Public Museum has a current exhibit called ‘Play Ball’ that contains the world’s largest collection of Tiger autographed baseballs. The exhibit includes some 1200 balls signed by those who spent time playing in Tiger Stadium (nee Briggs) and CoAmerica Park. That is a lot of baseballs and a lot of players. Being a Tiger adherent for the past 6+ decades I have had fandom connections with players who came up in the organization and remained for the majority if not their entire career. A long term committed relationship. Like Al Kaline There have also been breakups via trades. Kind of like your first love in Junior High when you are certain to have found the person you’re destined to be with forever and suddenly her parents get jobs in another state and the family moves. I think of Harvey Keunn one of my early favorites who won the batting title in ‘59 and over the winter got traded for Rocky Colavito. Ok, the Rock provided a lot of fireworks including jumping into the stands in New York to go after a drunk guy getting into it with Colavito’s Dad. But Keunn leaving broke my youthful heart. Then of course there have been the nasty partings. When free agency hit all of a sudden the relationship would just end. Sure there was a bit of buildup evident from leaks about negotiations but somehow you felt it would workout when suddenly Bam! Divorce. Kirk Gibson certainly comes to mind and it still stung a little to watch him toss out the first ball at the Dodger opener last week wearing an L.A. uni with the Tigers in their dugout watching. Then there are the rebound relationships. When a player moves from another team and becomes a part of the family almost instantly. Like Pudge Rodriguez. He almost singlehandedly took the Tigers out of the doldrums. His coming to Detroit made others want to join him and the team went from pitiful to pennant winners. And beyond all those are the obscure, fleeting, short term relationships. Like a date or two that kind of went nowhere. Players who never seemed to find their niche and would soon be all but forgotten. There have been many but when I think of obscurity I am reminded of a platoon shortstop who was the classic good glove, crummy bat type of player. All the aforementioned names are pretty familiar and there are a host of other well known players sure to be in the collection but I had only one name in mind to search for. Coot Veal. I was only 8 or 9 but I recall the light hitting shortstop who hung around for a couple of years wearing the Olde English D. Even had his baseball card. No way they could have a ball signed by Coot (whose given name was Orville). But I was wrong. And, I might add, totally convinced this is the most all inclusive collection of its type in the entire Galaxy. If you have any favorite Bengal players from the past or others who yourecall as dreadfully lousy, get to this exhibit and I’m betting that no matter how little time he spent in the Tiger limelight (and lineup), you’ll find him. Well done, Steve and Nancy Nagengast who have amassed the collection and made the exhibit possible. And kudos to the GRPM for sharing this treasure trove of Tigerdom. With plans for multiple visits to this dazzling display I’m going to need a membership. Go Tigers!  Lifetime HR's- 1  Want to know what’s happening in the area? We pick one event per day and sometimes two (except Saturday when we always choose two and this week it’s 3) to feature with an emphasis on variety. If you have an event coming up send us an email at [email protected] and you may see it in this weekly offering.
Monday Two events we like today Branstrom Earth Day Cleanup by the Wildflower Friends Nature Group starts at 10am. These are the folks who put on the weekly toddler and baby walks each week. Just show up. They will provide bags and gloves. We don’t know much about the Wings of Fire Graphic Novel Book Club, but it’s being hosted by the White Cloud Community Library who have been gifting the community with some innovative programming of late. The description says:”Join us for a time of mixing reading and theater as we act our way through the Wings of Fire Series." 10:30-11:30am Tuesday A short bit of a drive but Third Nature Brewing Co. in Rockford is located along the White Pine Trail. On Tuesday if you hike or bike a bit on the trail they knock $2 off your first pint afterwards. Be sure to check-in at the host stand. Dogs are welcome in their Biergarten if you would like for your four legged friend to tag along. Wednesday Too cold to go to a ballgame but the GR Museum has a very cool exhibit going on. Play Ball boasts the world’s largest collection of Detroit Tiger autographed baseballs. Being a forever fan I will undoubtedly have to take this one in a time or two. From Al Kaline and Miggy Cabrera to Skeeter Barnes and Rico Brogna and maybe the unforgettable Enos Cabell, I will search for them all. Here are details: https://www.grpm.org/play-ball/ Thursday Hit the Road Joe reopens after a 2 month sabbatical that saw Chef Tracy polishing up her extensive culinary resume with some cooking classes in Oaxaca, Mexico. It might be a bit cool for al fresco dining on this day but by the weekend we’re to be in the 60s and the outside dining at HTRJ is a treat in itself. Their take out dinner for Friday is Corned Beef and Cabbage and their epic pizzas return on Saturday. Regular hours are 8am-2pm Thursday through Monday. See you there. Friday Stage Door Players final weekend performances of Nana's Naughty Knickers. We have heard the play is a laughable lark and if there is anything we need lately it’s a good laugh or two. 7pm with doors open at 6:30pm. Here’s an article about it. https://www.nearnorthnow.com/features-and-fun/stage-door-players-to-perform-nanas-naughty-knickers And for pity’s sake support community theater. Always. Saturday Three worthy events. What’s the season without the convivial chaos of an Easter Egg Hunt? The Moose Lodge & the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored hunt includes Prizes, Crafts & Games for all ages and (who said there was no such thing as a ) Free Lunch – Enjoy hotdogs and chips! 10am. Vets Park in Fremont. Encanto sing along 3pm at the Dogwood. C’mon you know you want to go to this and let loose as part of an epic sing-a-long. Here’s more info: https://www.nearnorthnow.com/features-and-fun/encanto-sing-along-at-the-dogwood-center-on-april-12. S.F. Wessling Observatory will be hosting their first Star Party of the year. It is, of course, weather dependent (clear skies required) but the long range forecast is somewhat optimistic. If you haven’t visited Newaygo County’s very own observatory you truly don’t know what you’re missing. Here’s the skinny: https://sciencefestival.msu.edu/Event/View/185.  Join us in the Dogwood Center Black Box and sing along to all the songs in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” on Saturday, April 12 at 3:00 p.m. This Sing-Along version of the film features on-screen lyrics as you watch your favorite musical numbers, including “The Family Madrigal,” “Surface Pressure,” “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” “Dos Oruguitas” and more! “Encanto” features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, while Germaine Franco composed the original score. And, be ready for a special treat! Jams Sweet Retreat will be at the Dogwood with froyo and freeze-dried candy, available for purchase before and during the film! Remember…cash only for the treats! Tickets are $5.00 per person and are available online at www.dogwoodcenter.com, at the Dogwood Box Office, or at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont or just click here! 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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