  The Michigan Irish Music Festival, presented by Family Financial Credit Union, is excited for a stellar 25th Anniversary celebration. Join the festivities September 12-15th at Heritage Landing in downtown Muskegon, Michigan! Festival Pass & Single Day tickets are available now! Prices increase on September 1st, so buy early and save. Ticket sales are sponsored by Barry's Greenhouses. Children 12 & under are free, but still need a ticket code. All tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable. The Festival Pass grants entry to festival grounds at Heritage Landing for the festival on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, in addition to the Pub Preview Party, which takes place on Thursday evening. Why wait for the weekend? Pre-game the Michigan Irish Music Festival on Thursday night at our Pub Preview Party! Enjoy one stage with four amazing bands. Tasty food from two vendors, the Pub bar, and the opportunity to grab exclusive artist merchandise and the official 2024 t-shirt will all be available Thursday night! Full festival offerings will be available on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Irish Culture is a significant part of the full festival experience! Michigan Irish Music Festival is proud to present a wide array of cultural offerings, with sessions around music like “Learn to Play the Tin Whistle” and “Folklore & Hip Hop”. Touch on history with offerings such as “Celtic Mythology” and “The Irish in the American Civil War”. Information about modern Ireland can be found at sessions like “Ireland’s Young Voices in Poetry” and “Music of the Derry Girls”. Attend Children’s Storytime hosted by Hackley Public Library or Design Your Personal Coat of Arms. Cuisine and libations are covered in Irish Food & Drink demonstrations by Culinary Institute of Michigan and Craft Beer & Cocktail Tasting classes presented by Pigeon Hill Brewing Company*, Wonderland Distilling Company*, Five Farms Irish Cream*. *Denotes a ticketed event. Tickets can be purchased at https://michiganirish.saffire.com/p/tickets. Since its inception, the Michigan Irish Music Festival has been entirely led by volunteers with no paid staff. Enlisting just shy of 1300 volunteers each year, the board, team leaders, managers, and shift volunteers are all driven by a passion to enhance our community, host a premier Irish music festival, and be part of a high functioning, enthusiastic team. To join this group, please visit https://michiganirish.org/volunteer. Additionally, as a part of their ongoing mission, the festival gives back to the local community. Since tracking began in 2008, Michigan Irish Music Festival has donated approximately $400,000 and over 20,000 pounds of non-perishable items to local organizations working to mitigate hunger in our area. This is done in memory of the Gorta Mór, or Great Famine, that plagued Ireland in the mid-1800s. Donations welcome! Visit www.michiganirish.org for more information on preferred donations for 2024. Along with presenting sponsor Family Financial Credit Union, other major sponsors of the festival include G&L Chili Dogs, Langlois Home Furnishings, The Mart Dock, and Budweiser. Complete festival information including stage and entertainment schedules can be found at www.michiganirish.org. Stay tuned to the website and Michigan Irish Music Festival social media pages for additional updates.  
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 Downtown Hesperia- Photo by Jennifer Sherburn HesperiArt Initiative seeking proposals for community enhancement
The Hesperia Area Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with a dedicated group of community leaders, invites artists, designers, and creative individuals to submit proposals for public art installations that will enhance the cultural and aesthetic value of our community. The HesperiART Initiative aims to enhance the vibrancy in our community, encouraging community engagement and beautification of public spaces. We seek innovative and visually appealing art pieces that reflect the spirit and history of Hesperia. Before the end of 2026, we hope to commission 6 art installations, including but not limited to, sculptures, murals, mosaics, and interactive installations. The selected works will be installed in various public locations throughout the Village, such as parks and building facades. **Project #1 Scope:** We seek to install a mural in downtown Hesperia, near the White River. This mural will be permanently installed on a brick wall after completion. The mural should be no larger than 8 feet wide and 5 feet tall. **Eligibility:** This RFP is open to all professional artists and designers, both individual and collaborative teams, with experience in creating and installing public art. Prior experience is preferred. **Proposal Requirements:** 1. **Artist Statement:** A brief biography and description of the artist's experience and connection to Hesperia. 2. **Project Description:** A detailed description of the proposed artwork, including conceptual approach, materials, dimensions, and installation requirements. 3. **Visuals:** Sketches, renderings, or photographs of the proposed artwork. 4. **Budget:** A detailed budget breakdown covering all aspects of the project, including materials, fabrication, and installation, not to exceed $2,500. 5. **Timeline:** A proposed timeline for the project from concept to completion. Award notifications are expected in Q4 2024. 6. **References:** Contact information for at least two professional references familiar with the artist’s work. **Selection Criteria:** Proposals will be evaluated based on artistic merit, originality, feasibility, community engagement, and alignment with the goals of the Hesperia Public Art Initiative. Selected artists will be awarded a commission contract to execute their proposed projects. **Submission Deadline:** All proposals must be submitted by September 20th, 2024. Late submissions will not be considered. **Submission Process:** Proposals should be submitted electronically to [email protected] **Contact Information:** For inquiries or additional information, please contact Julie Burrell at [email protected] or the Hesperia Area Chamber of Commerce at [email protected]  The Swingtooth Quartet will perform in the Dogwood Center's Black Box on Friday, August 16 at 7:30 p.m. Join us and you will experience great live music at the Dogwood! Local guitar duo, Lee and David Middleman, known for their hand-built instruments, Swingtooth Guitars, and featured in past West Michigan Luthier concerts, make up a portion of the quartet. They are joined by Chris Cudworth on bass, and Pat Eickenroth on percussion, both sought after participants in several eclectic groups across Michigan. The synergy among the four is part of their own enjoyment in crafting new ways to express their favorite timeless material of early swing, bebop, sultry ballads and lively bossa nova. And vocalist Jody Swanson will be adding a twist to some of the songs by the quartet! Please join us at the Dogwood for a two-hour leap into great music! Tickets are $12.50 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.  Saturday Festival features family friendly fun A fun filled day awaits folks attending River Country Chamber’s Annual Grant Festival this Saturday, August 17th, with a bevy of activities for all ages. Now that we are now knee deep into August the wonderful array of outdoor festivals our area is known for will be coming to an end soon. It’s prime time for some outdoor mingling with a chance to run into friends and acquaintances seeking a bit of hometown revelry. We listed some of the highlights adding the generous sponsors who make them possible. You can start the day with a full stomach by hitting up the Pancake Breakfast at the fire station. Coffee and rolls from 7-8am then cakes and sausage from 8-11am. (Consumers Energy) Car buffs take note. The ever popular Auto Show will feature some fine rides decked out in their best for the competition. Starting at 9am with judging at 11:30am, the vehicular venue is on Front St. in front of the Community Center. From classic models to newer rides, you can check out hair dryers, huffers and hot licks while admiring the work that goes into these gas powered beauties. (Grant Tire Wholesalers Plus) Who doesn’t love a parade? A festival without a parade is just so wrong, thus at 12:30pm the caravan of candy tossing will begin and the streets will be lined with locals looking to see what surprises the lineup brings. AND since the primary is over there will be less candidates cruising along the route to shake a few hands and hand out flyers no one reads. One of our favorite events at any time is a BBQ Competition where smoke savoring savants roll out their ribs and slightly charred chicken concoctions for bragging rights and some cold hard cash for the winners. Pitmasters will learn the fate of their meat beginning at 5pm. Side note: A friend who is a certified judge of such events educated me as to how the frequently advertised “fall off the bone” ribs never make the cut since they are considered to be overdone. Ribs should apparently give just a bit of a tug to be considered prize-worthy. Who knew? (Choice One) Did I hear Beer Tent? Yep. Not only can you enjoy an adult beverage or two but there’s entertainment to be had beginning with The Faulkners a local duo who have been making a number of appearances throughout the area from 1:30pm-4pm and followed up with a welcome taste of country classics with the Larsen Brothers 4:30pm-6pm. If you are one of those folks who don’t normally carry cash, you might want to hit up an ATM since cash (and an I.D.) is your only way of scoring a brew. (High Profile) Soap Box Racing is always a hoot and with three divisions it will be interesting to see what these innovative riders come up with. Races begin at 9am and will wrap up around 12:30 pm. (Newaygo Plumbing) Once upon a time this festival included horseshoes but while there are still some ‘shoers’ out there, cornhole has passed it in popularity and now the festival has a Cornhole Tourney on hand. Dozens of competitors seeking to put their tossing skills on display will be looking to be this year's Boss of the Toss. (Wolff Builders) A Golf Simulator will give links lovers a shot at winning long drive and closest to the pin, there will be a Pie Baking Contest (The Depot) , a 5k walk/ run and the obligatory Dunk Tank (Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy), all add to the fun. And, of course, there will be a boatload of activities for the young ones including Gellyball (think paintball without the mess) , a Barrel Train, Face Painting and a Gem Mine. Our Gateway City is pulling out all stops to provide a day of fun and frolic so take your crew to Grant this Saturday, August 17th. For more detailed info visit the River Country Chamber site at: https://www.rivercountrychamber.com/events/details/grant-festival-2024-41231   Annual meeting to feature a variety of entertainment
Stage Door Players Theater is presenting an evening of entertainment as part of their annual meeting on August 12 at 6:30 PM. The theme is Music and More! There will be a variety of music, musicians, and a puppet show, all family fun entertainment! Bring family and friends to Stage Door Theater at 1147 Wilcox in White Cloud for a chance to cool off in air conditioned comfort, meet new friends, and help support entertainment in our community. The building was originally a movie theater, there is a photo of it from 1947. Stage Door has occupied it for the past twenty years. Admission is free, donations are accepted. Light refreshments will be served. |
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