 Popular vocalist Rick Reuther will be returning to the Dogwood Center Black Box on Saturday, August 12 at 7:30 p.m. with his show “Rags to Riches”, a loving tribute to the music and life of singer Tony Bennett.
Performed by vocalist Reuther with pianist Tom Hagen heading the band, the show highlights Bennett’s iconic performances from his earliest days through today, as the 90 year old singer is still bringing audiences to their feet. The set list includes many of his classics like "Rags to Riches", "Because of You", "The Shadow of Your Smile" and the enduring "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". It also includes some of the lesser known musical gems that Bennett had such a knack for discovering and making his own. The show is backed by a talent packed ensemble including Hagen on keys, bassist Elgin Vines, drummer and vocalist Cherie Lynn, sax man Mike Lutley and percussionist Kevin Jones. With swinging moments and those that will move you to tears, this show is a wonderful tribute to the guy Frank Sinatra once said has “the best pipes in town”. This will be a memorable performance with great vocals and instrumentals…one you won’t want to miss! Tickets are $12.50 and are available through the Dogwood Center Box Office, NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont, or on-line at www.dogwoodcenter.com. For information, phone 231.924.8885. The Dogwood Center is located one mile east of downtown Fremont.  Grand Rapids – The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) is offering a special Beer Explorers experience August 15, Puzzles & Pints! Adults, 21 and older, can enjoy craft beer while trying to solve puzzles, games and brainteasers in the traveling exhibit Mindbender Mansion.
Puzzles & Pints will offer adults an extra challenging time in Mindbender Mansion, with craft beer offerings as they work together to gather clues and passwords in order to be inducted into the Mindbender Society, a group of elite puzzlers! Puzzles & Pints will take place on Tuesday, August 15 from 5 to 8 p.m., with the bar available until 7:30 p.m. Mindbender Mansion includes more than 45 individual and group brain teasers, puzzles and tricky problems to solve all in a unique exhibit setting. Visitors to this fun and quirky mansion are invited to join the Mindbender Society by gathering hidden clues and secret passwords scattered throughout the various thematic rooms of the house. Puzzles and Pints tickets are $4 for Museum members, $11 for Kent County residents and $14 for non-members. Tickets include one craft beer, admission to Mindbender Mansion, entrance to all 3 floors of the Museum to explore. A cash bar will be available for additional drinks. Participants must be 21 and older. Tickets can be purchased atgrpm.org/Calendar. By N3 Entertainment Tribe
If it’s Friday it must mean food right? Of course every day means food but we at N3 World Headquarters and Al Fresco Dining Deck find Fridays to be one of those days when all avenues to ingestible indulgence are open. From the ever growing cornucopia of eateries we enjoy in our parts ( head to our Nibbler section) to the abundance of edible options beginning to emerge from the local land, options abound. The Vanderlaans the fairly new proprietors of Gene’s Market are having a Rib Fest tonight (Friday) at their Grant location. Grab a full rack of ribs and add a meal deal with some slaw and potato salad and head home happy. The Dogwood Summer Youth Theater is presenting “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm. Go. Over 30 local youth have been working hard to make this a compelling theater experience and for those who love bargains? Admission is free. Being thrifty however, allows one the resources to make donations and said donations will be most welcomed at the door if one is so inclined. The Farmer’s Markets are expanding with more choices hitting the tables each week. Friday the Newaygo market begins at noon in Brooks Park. There’s also to be a little music...  Mona Lisa’s Secret Review
By Alexis Mercer This book review started as a result of a survey I conducted on Near North Now asking readers to weigh in on which genre I should read next. The readers chose Historical Fiction, which had me excited. I’m horrifically pathetic at remembering details about history (just ask the group of friends who witness my abysmal daily results of Isaac Asimov’s Super Quiz...I’m really that bad). But I love to read historically based novels. My search began to find a title that peaked my interest. My original choice (I’ll save the title because it is going to be my review in a few weeks) was a book I knew my mom owned, but I wouldn’t have immediate access to it, so I kept looking. World War II was a prevalent theme in my searches, but being that it is summer and I knew I would be reading while my kids were playing outside in the sun, I wanted something a little lighter. I happened upon Mona Lisa’s Secret by Phil Philips and was intrigued. I clicked the magic Buy Now button on Amazon and started reading two days later. My intrigue about this book came from the idea that it seemed DaVinci Code-like. And who didn’t like DaVinci Code? I’ll start with the positives. The storyline of the book was good. Joey, the great-grandson of Vincenzo Peruggia, the man who stole the Mona Lisa, and his girlfriend Marie, an art gallery owner, discover a secret chamber in Joey’s newly inherited house in California. Within the chamber is the Mona Lisa; the original. Marie has a connection to the Louvre curator and immediately the pair report the find to him. Once in Paris, things turn for the worse and the two find themselves running for their lives to protect the painting and discover the truth. Sadly the intrigue of the plot was deafened by the misery of the writing itself. The attempts to insert the historical facts into the plot were contrived. As was the characterization throughout. The dialogue was almost comical in its forced nature. My disappointment in the writing itself was more than I could overcome to be able to enjoy the book despite its interesting plot. If you can put on blinders to the author’s inability to naturally weave a tale, you could try this book. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. I will try again in the category of Historical Fiction with a book I am quite sure will renew my belief in good writing.  The Kiddy Cub Flight Team Now through August 4!
Grand Rapids-The Grand Rapids Mini Maker Faire announced today that the Call to Makers for the 4th annual Grand Rapids Maker Faire has been an extended! Makers now have until Friday, August 4 to sign up to showcase what they have invented or are making. This year’s Maker Faire will be August 19 & 20 held at the Grand Rapids Public Museum and nearby Grand Valley State University’s John C. Kennedy Hall of Engineering. Maker Faire is looking for participants who enjoy tinkering, hacking, building and designing new technology based inventions. Any groups or individuals interested in participating in the Maker Faire should complete the application at Grand Rapids.MakerFaire.com. Unfinished projects are also welcome at Maker Faire. The Grand Rapids Maker Faire is a family-friendly celebration featuring tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, hobbyists, engineers, artists, students and commercial exhibitors. Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned. The Faire will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 19 and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, August 20. Early bird tickets are available for purchase at GrandRapids.MakerFaire.com through Friday, August 4! Museum members receive FREE early bird tickets. By N3WH staff
A Little Hog Heaven The fine folks who make up the Friends Campaign Committee to support the efforts to build a new library in White Cloud will be hosting a community picnic featuring a pig roast Saturday from 3-6pm. at the facility. In addition to the porcine entree there will be salads, chips, drinks, and best of all, desserts all at a bargain price (see ad on our home page). And while you’re there you might give some thought to how vital libraries have become these days, evolving with the times particularly with regard to expanding internet access for our citizens who would otherwise go without. There has always existed a personal soft spot for libraries ever since a first encounter with a phenomenon known as...  The Rough & Tumble at the Black Box By Ken DeLaat
The Rough & Tumble do it right. They’re a duo extraordinaire who produce a wide range of music. Strong instrumentals from the guitar of Scott Tyler combine seamlessly with the absolute cavalcade of sound makers (both named and unnamed) Mallory Graham uses to create a carnival of collaboration. Their songs are lyrical stories that can amuse with a twist of sardonic wit or give a pull to the heartstrings with poignant prose. Thursday night at the Dogwood’s Black Box they played to a crowd mostly unfamiliar with their music and didn’t just win them over, they absolutely charmed them. The self-deprecating humor, the road stories and most of all the wonderfully winsome musical creations they shared with the audience seemed to forge a connection. Mallory puts into play her funky collection of musical tools from a toy piano, small xylophone,various shakers and sand blocks to the kazoo, accordion and banjolele and each provide a well placed addition to Scott’s string work. Scott also brings out a well played harp on too few occasions. And then there are their road companions and sometime recording accompanists Butter and Pud a pair of pleasant pooches who take their places on stage and settle in for an evening of audience interaction. Scott and Mallory each possess a wide vocal range allowing for some impressive and innovative musical harmonizing, yet what sets Rough & Tumble apart is the obvious rapport between the two.Their shared adventures involving the intriguing people they’ve met, life on the road in a 16 foot camper with a couple of canine companions, and a playful relationship that seems to work well personally as well as professionally collide to produce a whimsical presence on stage. Having listened to their music and spoken to them by phone before the show my anticipation level for this concert was high. I was anxious to experience this duo whose music seems to challenge and charm the listener. The couple who displayed a delightful sense of humor during a recent interview and spoke candidly about their compassion for the less fortunate. They did not disappoint and truly exceeded expectations. Granted, their music is not for everyone, nor perhaps should it be. They are Americana Folk Artists with musical lineage tracing back to the creative contributions of outsiders. Those gifted musical folks who passed along tuneful tales after tweaking them into their own versions or perhaps created songs others would honor in the same way. Songs crafted from the stories of real people met along the way combined with insightful vignettes inspired by a deeply personal view of the world we live in. And The Rough & Tumble? They get it. Their music is powerful yet kind. Their songs are humorous and touching, warm and witty,and always, without exception entertaining. They connect with people and build a relationship with their audience. And as we said in the beginning… They do it right.  Murder on the Orient Express Review By Alexis Mercer I do fancy myself a reader. A connoisseur of mysteries, in fact. My love for mystery started in elementary school when I read my first Nancy Drew mystery. I proceeded to read every book in the series at least once. My fascination with mystery continued into my teen and adult years. So when Murder on the Orient Express was chosen for this month’s Book Club read, I was rather taken aback. I realized I knew nothing about Agatha Christie other than her name and that she was referred to as “The Queen of Mystery.” Could I truly call myself a connoisseur? I decided to dig in and do a bit of research before I read the book itself. I was amused to find that there is an entire website dedicated to Agatha Christie (though my husband feels Wikipedia is a reliable source, I do not share his enthusiasm). At www.agathachristie.com I read that she “is best known for her 66 detective novels, 150 short stories, plays, and her famous sleuths Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.” First published in 1934, Murder on the Orient Express is claimed to be one of Christie’s greatest novels. An original movie adaptation came out in 1974 with actors Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman. It was made into a BBC radio show, a PC game and also TV series. The remake of the original movie will come out this fall, starring Kenneth Branagh, Penelope Cruz, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Michelle Pfiffer to name a few. Armed with the knowledge that this was an award winning book that has been turned into every adaptation at least once, I settled in to read a mystery. Ms. Christie did not disappoint. "The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances." The setting begins on a train platform in Aleppo with Hercule Poirot, the main character in a series of mystery novels by Christie. He finds himself in a somewhat empty train car, and enjoys his wintery ride with a plan to stay in Haydapassar. But upon his arrival at the hotel, Poirot receives a message at the front desk that a previously started Kassner Case needs his assistance, so he must find his way back to London immediately.
Poirot boards the Wagon Lit train to find the director of the train, as well as his friend, Monsieur Bouc. In what is a surprising turn of events for the winter months, they find the first class sleeping rooms to be full. But M. Bouc pulls some strings and fits Poirot in to a second class coach. The characters, including Americans, a German, French, two Russians and Englishmen, take off on their journey on the cross country train. Quickly the action unfolds as M. Poirot is approached by a passenger, Mr. Ratliff, to guard his life from a threat he received, but Poirot declines as he is suspicious of the ordeal. That evening the train simultaneously gets stuck in a snowdrift and Mr. Ratliff is killed in the sleeping coach right next to Poirot. So begins the search to find the killer before reaching the next destination. Christie’s ability to masterfully weave a story and intrigue the readers with her characters exceeded all expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale and the way in which it was told. Now that I have finished my first experience with Agatha Christie’s novels, I do plan to continue reading more. Maybe then I will revisit my possible title of Mystery Connoisseur. *I have chosen a historical fiction novel and am about halfway through. Stay tuned for the review next week.*  The Dogwood Summer Youth Theater will present "A Mid-Summer Night's Dream" on July 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. both evenings. The Dogwood Summer Youth Theater is directed again this summer by Chelsea Webb and involves area youth in all facets of the production. “A Midsummer Night's Dream” is a comedy written by William Shakespeare. It portrays the events surrounding the adventures of characters who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world. The production has 32 Newaygo County youth participating in the show. This program is funded in part by the Fremont Area Community Foundation and Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Free admission with donations accepted at the door to support Dogwood programs. The production is on the Dogwood Main Stage with general admission seating. For more information please contact the Dogwood Center at 231.924.8885. The Dogwood Center is located one mile east of downtown Fremont. By Alexis Mercer
Thanks for all N3 Readers who responded to the survey! We have a winner.... Historical Fiction I will be doing some research this week to find a book within that genre about which to write my next review. Stay tuned. |
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