This Week: Honoring Women, Rolling Pumpkins, Good Music & Quiz Whizzes

A short list of happenings. Some near, some not so near.

Wednesday
The Newaygo County Influential Women in Leadership Luncheon comes to Camp Newaygo Wednesday at 11am. This is the third year the event has been held and it is not just a great idea, (thank you, Kamille Massey) it has grown roots and become an annual gig.
And with good reason. I recently was shown an old news clipping from the town I went to high school at. It was a photo of a group of women who were part of an organization of some sort. The caption listed them as “Mrs. John Doe, Mrs Joe Blow, Mrs, Ronald Roe, etc. etc.
It was as if they had no names of their own other than Mrs.
Granted we have come a long way since then but still, the recent Nobelist for Economics Harvard Professor Claudia Goldin  won the prize for her research into the gender pay gap that still exists today for women who perform the same job as men.
The reasons to honor the leadership of our local women are numerous, but there is one reason that stands out for me. 
They damn well deserve it.
And full disclosure here, my favorite of the fourteen who will be recognized for their contributions to the community is also my favorite landscaper, and a source of perpetual pride to her parents.
Here’s more on the event.
https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/i4-game-changers

On Thursday, Zach Lentine will be  sharing his musical talents at the RiverStop Cafe from 6-9pm. The Cafe’s Thursday night series has brought some fine music to town focusing on the talent we enjoy in our region. 
Now that summer has departed and outdoor venues have paused for the interminably lengthy non summer season we are entering it’s good to know there are still places around to hear live music.

On Friday you can listen to budding musicians giving it a go at Flying Bear Books where Open Mike Night  gives local folks a chance to develop some performance chops from 6-9pm.

Montague has a cool thing going on Saturday with their Pumpkin Fest.We used to attend annually when Mrs. Ken DeL…uh…I mean my enduring spousal companion Lil, danced there with the Cedar Creek Cloggers. They have a great Pumpkin roll race down a steep downtown hill that is worth the price of admission itself. Well, the price is free but getting a pumpkin in the race will cost you  $3. 
https://www.facebook.com/events/297400632703846/

​And speaking of Montague…One of our favorite stops in the area is the downtown  Book Nook and on Friday they are kicking off their Americana Music Festival, three days of music in what is truly an intriguing venue for performers and audience alike. The Blue Water Ramblers who played at Brooks Park last summer will be the opener hitting the stage  from 7-9:30pm and old friend Bear Berends and the rest of the Ramblers will be capturing the Americana genre for what will surely be a grateful crowd. The rest of the lineup: 10am Saturday - Calabogie Road, 7pm Saturday - The Danny Seabolt Experience, 10am Sunday - B-Side Growlers.
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Saturday closer to home is another very cool event as White Cloud High School hosts its annual Quiz Bowl Invitational. Not familiar with QB? Think Jeopardy but faster, more difficult and without commercials.
This competition showcases the talents of the local White Cloud QB team, who are defending state champs mind you, along with 28 other teams. Here’s the skinny:
 https://www.nearnorthnow.com/news/and-the-answer-is
Years ago TI Editor Wheater would put together a team to scrimmage the WC QBers before they were to begin tournament play and I was often recruited as a team member, not as a mascot as some hinted at when I told them I would be on the squad.
Talk about your humbling experience. Much of the time we would fumble around while the young competitors across from us would  blitz us with rapid fire answers. Occasionally one of us would come up with a winning reply and there would be the requisite high fives and self congratulatory behavior among our foursome, but as it's said, ‘even a blind squirrel stumbles across the occasional acorn’.
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There you go. A week's worth of doings. If you have an event coming up let us know and we’ll add it to the fray.

-Ken De Laat