15 KILOMETERS OF FUN: 2008 Meijer Festival of Races 15K at the Cherry Festival in Traverse City this past weekend:
I ran the race and it was hot and humid. Near the race's midpoint, on McKinley Street, is a massive hill that doesn't seem to end. Once you get to the top, it's even steeper going down the backside. They call that stretch "Mt. McKinley", and for good reason.
VERY COOL: Download Free PBS Programs from Kent District Library. The price is right.
YUM: Grading West Michigan's hot dog joints
I noticed the Pronto Pup of Grand Haven:
313 S. Harbor, Grand Haven (grandhavenprontopup.com)
Eaten: The Pronto Pup (only thing on the menu), a dog on a stick dipped in batter, cooked in 100 percent vegetable oil and served "naked," or slathered with ketchup or mustard
Verdict: A lot like a corn dog, but oh, so much better. The use of a wheat-based, rather than corn-based, batter adds an intangible sweetness to the dog. Another classic West Michigan item -- available seasonally and the third weekend in January -- that's nearly perfect in its simplicity.
Grade: A
The small Minnesota town where I grew up had a summer festival called the Pow Wow, and one of the top treats was the "Pow Wow Pup," which many people referred to as a "pronto pup." I've always thought that I liked the Pow Wow Pups more than I like standard corn dogs (which I do like very much) and wondered if it was a different sort of batter. This description of a "pronto pup" makes me think it was. Wikipedia says that the pronto pup had its origin at the Minnesota State Fair.
| Reviewing West Michigan's best hot dogs |
THIS WEEK: GRNow Weekly Preview July 7-13
DON'T GET BORED: Absolute Michigan's July Event Calendar.
No shortage of fun in Michigan this July!
FREE TICKETS: Rothbury Ticket Giveaway from GM Next & Absolute Michigan
For the entire month of July, Absolute Michigan will be focusing of Michigan festivals celebrating music, art, food and the other things that make Michigan fun.
To kick it off, we're having a spur of the moment Rothbury Ticket Giveaway courtesy of the folks at GM Next Plug In!
See Absolute Michigan at the link above for details.
HUNTING FOR TREASURE ACROSS NORTHERN MICHIGAN: Geocaching:
It's an activity invented in 2000, and it has been picking up steam across Northern Michigan and worldwide. The high-tech adventure basically involves finding coordinates for hidden treasures on the Internet, seeking them out through hand-held GPS units, then replacing found treasure with trinkets of your own and writing in the provided logbook. The craze is so popular in this part of the state there are more than 1,300 public geocaches in the Traverse City area alone, according to the city's convention and visitor's bureau.
My family and I have done a little geocaching, and the kids are eager to try some more. It's fun, fairly simple (though finding some of the caches is far from easy), and it gets you out of the house for a bit. By checking out geochaching.com you can find a quick afternoon activity nearly anywhere.
It's also led to geocaching-related activities:
This year, Holiday Vacation Rentals has added a new twist. Anyone who rents one of its 100-plus vacation homes or condominiums -- most in the Boyne City and Harbor Springs area -- can follow a private geocache route that has elements of a scavenger hunt thrown in. They provide the GPS unit, along with mapped routes that take you from clue to clue and eventually to the "treasure."
Sounds fun.
IN A JAM? Try the 2008 Valentine's Day Guide for Grand Rapids area Valentines eating and fun.
DNR: Fewer bears taken during 2007 Michigan hunts
Michigan hunters killed 2,124 black bears in 2007, about 14 percent fewer than the year before, according to a preliminary Department of Natural Resources report released Monday.
COMING SOON: One Book, One County 2008
The title of Kent District Library's 'One Book, One County' for 2008 will be announced January 19th.
Last year's book, October Sky, was a good one and meeting the author, Homer Hickam, was awesome.
ONE MORE STORY: At first, this new program at the Kent District Library looks good:
One More Story is an online library of children’s classic and contemporary literature. Simply point and click, and children can choose a book, see illustrations and have the book read to them on the computer. As the narrator reads, words are highlighted at the bottom of the screen. Children can also read along or hear only the words they don’t know.
This looks great. Reading is key to successful education and life, and reading aloud to kids is vital. We've had great success with audiobooks, and an online version with the text available is a great idea.
But there's this:
One More Story is available only within the library and is featured on all of KDL’s youth computers, which all have a variety of fun and educational games sure to please your little ones. So visit your local KDL branch today!
Honestly, that's stupid. Who is going to go to the library to sit at a computer and watch/listen to a book. The place is full of actual books. Families that are making the effort to travel to and spend time at the library aren't the ones who need a resource like this. It's those who can't or won't take the time to visit the library that could benefit from this.
Kids at home logging on and hearing classic children's stories, improving their reading skills while they're at it. Instead of playing more video games. By making this available online, the library would be proving a valuable service to those who might not have access otherwise, and those are probably the ones that need it the most. Seems like a winner to me.
Unless this becomes available over the internet, I don't see it making much difference.
NOT TO BE BANNED: MI Senate snuffs out smoking ban in bars, restaurants
Efforts to ban smoking in Michigan bars, restaurants and other workplaces were snuffed out in the state Senate Tuesday.
Republicans who control the chamber sent smoking-ban legislation to a committee where bills traditionally go to die. In a rare move, Democrats tried to steer it to the Health Policy Committee instead because the panel's Republican chairman supports the ban.
"This says we have a do-nothing Senate whose leadership does not want to deal with the smoking issue," said Sen. Ray Basham, D-Taylor, a longtime smoking ban supporter.
From a philosophical standpoint, I don't normally agree with government-mandated bans on smoking in private locations, even when it's a private place open to the public. That being said, I am much more likely to have a positive experience in a place where smoking is not allowed.
I just think it should be up to the business owner.
TOMORROW: National Ammo Day. Buy 100 rounds per gun. Follow the link to GunPundit for more info.
OPENING DAY: A great photo at Michigan in Pictures.
If you're a hunter (I'm not) good luck, shoot straight, and be safe!
NEW TRAIL: Trail project approved in Walker. It will connect Frederik Meijer Standale Trail with Millennium Park.
THE NEW ZEELAND HOTSPOT: Zeeland bar ready to pour it in
Tom Kelley has often popped into Vitale's Pizza for a cool treat.
But with the pizzeria's ice cream parlor closed, that cool-treat habit is going to change for the Gentex Corp. engineer.
"I'm somewhat sad to see the ice cream parlor go because they served Sherman's, my favorite -- and now we'll go to South Haven to get my fix," Kelley said. "I wish Vitale's had kept Sherman's, but I am happy they're adding some barley pop."
On Tuesday afternoon, Vitale's Pizza will start serving beer and wine, ending nearly a century without alcohol sales in the 5,532-population community.
Vitales is the only business to apply for a liquor license in Zeeland since the ban was lifted last year.
CUTLERVILLE RESIDENT'S HARRY POTTER ENCYCLOPEDIA ON HOLD: Local publisher will delay Harry Potter book
A West Michigan publisher has agreed to temporarily delay the release of a book dedicated to all things Harry Potter while a federal judge in New York gives his lawyers time to prepare a request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by author J.K. Rowling and a film studio.
The 400-page book is the print version of the Web site -- hp-lexicon.org -- founded by Cutlerville resident Steve Vander Ark. The site is used by 25 million people worldwide and is widely regarded as the definitive encyclopedia of all things Harry Potter. It was scheduled to be released Nov. 28.
JK Rowling and other owners of Harry Potter intellectual material are, understandably, not excited about the idea of someone else making money off of their property. I have trouble seeing how this is going to get the green light.
COOL: The Grand Rapids Griffins: Library Nights:
At every Friday home game, fans who present a local public library card—from the Kent District Library, the Grand Rapids Public Library or the Lakeland Library Cooperative—at the Van Andel Arena box office will get an upper bowl ticket for just $5! (Limit four tickets per card.)
Full Library Night schedule:
November 23
December 7
December 14
December 21
January 11
January 18
February 15
February 22
March 28
April 4
April 11
THIS LOOKS LIKE FUN: 2nd Annual KDL Teen Filmmaking Contest:
All Kent County teens, grades 6-12, are invited to enter films in the KDL 2nd annual teen filmmaking contest. Films selected from the contest will be screened at the KDL Teen Film Festival from 6-8 pm on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at the East Grand Rapids branch of Kent District Library. Over $200 in prize money will be awarded for People Choice Award and best films in various categories.
Cool.
JUST GOT THIS RELEASE from the Community Media Center regarding the Wealthy Theatre's application for a Club liquor license: A Critical Moment For Wealthy Theatre:
Technically, we're requesting a "PWA" which is a permit to allow for change of use. The change of use would be the acquisition of a permanent liquor licenses on premises, known as a Club License.
As you may know, a "Club License" is a relatively restrictive type, issued by the state of Michigan to nonprofit organizations that have a membership base. It is used very successfully by a number of historic performance venues in the state, such as The Ark and Michigan Theatre (both in Ann Arbor).
However, there is a serious challenge to this PWA request: the Grand Rapids Police Department (Vice Unit) has denied the request and the head of the Vice Unit will be appearing, to formally object to our request. GRPD has not provided CMC with a formal explanation of... why they are denying this request. We only have second-hand details regarding one part of their objection: they do not feel it is safe for patrons to consume alcohol in a theatre with the lights dimmed.
We've also been told they would prefer Wealthy Theatre seek a "Class C" liquor license. However, our research into license types (which began in February, 2007) led us to discover a "Class C" license would effectively turn Wealthy Theatre into an open bar. City officials have confirmed we would be required to sell alcohol to everyone (21+) regardless of whether they were attending an event. This goes against our intentions for seeking a license, which was to provide a simple enhancement -- not to become a bar.
I've got to say that a Club License appears to be the right solution here and the GRPD's suggestion to apply instead for a standard Class C license doesn't seem to make any sense, particularly considering their position that a Club License would be hazardous in some way.
My guess is that there's more to this story, but unfortunately the hearing with the Grand Rapids Planning Commission is today at 1PM. Hopefully more info will be available afterwards and this will be resolved in a fair and sensible manner.
I get over to the Wealthy Theatre from time to time, and a glass of wine would be quite welcome at most of the events I attend.
For more information, including letters of support from many groups and businesses, see the post at CMC.
COULD BE COOL: Concerts at Millennium Park?
THE GREAT LAKES NAVAL MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM in Muskegon is a great place to check out. You can tour the World War 2 submarine USS Silversides (SS 236) and a whole lot more. I took this picture on Saturday inside the boat:
Check out Murdoc Online for more info and a lot more photos from the tour.
Took this Monday evening during an outing to Pickerel Lake with my son's Boy Scout troop. Nothing special. Just sort of like it.
UPDATE: Whoa. I had put up the unadjusted version. Fixed now. LOL.
VLOG COVERAGE: Coopersville “Chili Blast” Chili Cookoff. A bit dated, as it followed the Outhouse Race, but a top-notch video blog story at Wandering West Michigan.
You want to know how a vlog should be done? Go look.
HEADED TO MEET HOMER HICKAM TONIGHT. Hickam is the author of October Sky, originally titled Rocket Boys. He's appearing at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center in Grand Rapids at 7:00 tonight. October Sky is the One Book, One County title for Kent County.
My wife also read The Coalwood Way by Hickam (he calls it "an equal, not a sequel") and, of course, October Sky was made into an excellent film.
GENTLEMEN, START YOUR OUTHOUSES! The Coopersville Outhouse 500.
Excellent vlog by Wandering West Michigan, which is going onto the blogroll in about 2.1 seconds.
HERE'S THE MSU VS. BOSTON U MATCHUP at College Hockey News. Looks like the Spartans have their work cut out for them.
Puck drops at 8:30 tonight at Van Andel Arena in GR.
AS THE NCAA ICE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT STARTS TOMORROW, here are a couple of sites to help you keep an eye on the action:
Michigan College Hockey, a group blog which looks pretty cool.
College Hockey News, which covers more than just the Wolverine State.
Again, here's the tournament tree.
WOW! The Eben Ice Caves.
Unbelievable! Check out the pic at Michigan in Pictures and follow the links.
MY WIFE AND KIDS went to Foremost's 'Butterflies Are Blooming' at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park last week. I forgot to post this great pic that my wife took:
(Click image for larger version.) More butterflies hatch every day, so each visit is a new experience. It runs through the end of April.
HEADED TO BITTERSWEET TODAY. Due to weather and a number of other factors, this is the first time this season the family's been able to hit the slopes. Will likely be the last, though you never know.
UPDATE: Was a great day of skiing. Warm, sunny, and the snow wasn't half bad. Started getting pretty mushy in the afternoon, of course, but still fun.
Got a little sunburned.
THIS WEEKEND AT THE EAST GRAND RAPIDS LIBRARY: KDL Teen Filmmaking Contest. View entrants in the 2007 Kent District Library's Teen film contest this Saturday evening 6-8 PM.
BILLY JOEL TICKETS GO ON SALE THIS SATURDAY for a May 4th concert at The Palace. I'm a big Billy Joel fan, but I'll be traveling that day.
AND THE PRICE IS RIGHT:
The free 2007 guide to the Lake Michigan Circle Tour is now available.
The free 19th edition of the guide was produced as a partnership between the West Michigan Tourist Association and Trails Media Group of Wisconsin, and includes coverage of all four Lake Michigan shoreline states — Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
The publication features a lighthouse map and index, which identifies over 90 beacons and the 1,100-mile Circle Tour route. Grids for each region list structural details, accessibility information and special features of each guiding light.
Regional features for each state include dozens of ideas for dining, lodging, events and attractions, plus maps and trip planning.
"This guide is a must for lighthouse buffs and maritime historians," said Sarah Crapo, director of marketing for the West Michigan Tourist Association. "The tales of yore that bring the Lake Michigan lighthouses to life will fascinate all readers."
The guide can be ordered online at www.wmta.org/pubs.shtml, or by calling the association at (800) 442-2084.
From the Grand Haven Tribune.
GRABBED DINNER AT WENDY'S TONIGHT, AND SAW THAT THEY'RE RUNNING A DEAL WITH THE GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS:
For every Friday home game (Dec. 15, Jan. 12, Feb. 16, March 16, April 6), get four Griffins tickets and four small Single Combo Meals from Wendy’s for $44 - a savings of $28! Purchase your four pack of tickets at all StarTicketsPLUS locations, including all West Michigan Meijer stores and The Zone inside Van Andel Arena. At that time you will also receive four Wendy’s Combo Meal vouchers for use at your next visit to Wendy’s.
We haven't been to a Griffins game yet, but I'm sure we will when we get a chance.
HERE'S A RESOURCE FOR SKIERS: MichiganSkiing.com. Unfortunately, Bittersweet is not listed among the southwestern Michigan ski areas. That's odd.
Now if we'd just get some snow.
VERVE PIPE FAN? I'm not, but I'm sure a lot of folks are excited that the band will be playing at The Intersection this Saturday evening.
More info at Going Gonzo.
A GUN AND KNIFE SHOW THIS WEEKEND at the Delta Plex. Info at migunshows.com. $5 gets you in the door. Save $1 with a coupon on the web site. See you there.
TWO CHRISTMAS FILMS THAT EVERYONE LOVES: A Christmas Story and It's a Wonderful Life are playing this Sunday at the Wealthy Theater. FREE admission. Plus, rumor has it that Santa will be making an appearance. First film rolls at 2:00 pm.
(Maybe wear safety glasses. Just in case. The last thing we want is someones eye shot out.)
These are classics that you've probably seen a hundred times. So why not go for 101?
MICHIGAN SKI REPORT. It's that time of year.
Here's another at OnTheSnow.com.
FOR ALL THE COOLNESS OF TODAY'S COMPUTER GAMES, there's not quite anything like rolling dice and moving around something you can touch: Fans of fantasy board games passionate about their pastime.
Although I was never a big player of tabletop wargames such as these, I did spend a lot of time playing "paper & pencil" role playing games as a kid. And, um, I still do a bit with my own kids. There's nothing quite like using your imagination instead of letting the XBox, Play Station, or personal computer do all the work for you.
THIS EVENING I HEARD QUIET RIOT'S 'METAL HEALTH' on 96.1 Max FM tonight. What's that all about?
THOUGH THE 30TH ANNUAL RIVER BANK RUN ISN'T UNTIL MAY, applications for The Road Warrior team must be postmarked by December 11th:
What is a road warrior? The Fifth Third River Bank Run is hosting a reality team that will consist of both veteran and novice runners. These runners will be challenged to new training methods, test new gear and participate in the 25K road race on Saturday, May 12, 2007. Each week they will be required to report their progress and changes and how the challenges affected their performance. Twenty (20) finalists will be selected for the interview portion of which 10 participants will ultimately be deemed as The Road Warriors of the Fifth Third River Bank Run!
Twice Murdoc has geared up to run the River Bank only to have knee problems keep him from even making it to the starting line. I'm a semi-regular runner, but I have begun to wonder if mileage in the double digits is just beyond my reach.
Maybe I should apply anyway. Maybe you should, too. Check it out.
THIS TIMELY QUESTION FROM A MICHIGAN RESIDENT SHOWED UP ON TODAY'S DEAR ABBY:
DEAR ABBY: I have a problem with my in-laws. My brother-in-law will never invite his parents for Christmas, so my husband always insists we have a combined family Christmas with my parents so his parents are not left alone.
The problem is my in-laws have bad-mouthed my parents in the past, and they treat my parents as if they are "less than." They also don't treat me all that great.
I get into fights every year with my husband about this. This year I tried to compromise, saying I'd have the in-laws over for Christmas Eve, but my husband will not bend. He wants both families here, which means I will be uncomfortable all day. It is my Christmas, too. I know it's only one day, but why should I have to compromise and be unhappy for the rest of my life? Please help. -- DREADING CHRISTMAS IN HOWELL, MICH.
DEAR DREADING CHRISTMAS: You have to compromise because, when you married your wonderful husband, you blended your family with his -- obnoxious and pretentious as they may be. You compromise because marriage IS compromise. Keep the spirits bright by keeping the atmosphere as light as possible -- and your in-laws separate from your parents. And remember that the illusion of the "perfect family" is just that -- an illusion.
I've heard a number of stories like this lately, and I must admit that I'm a bit mystified by them. The honest truth is that my tolerance for such intra-family shennanigans is absolutely and positively zero. There will usually be one opportunity for a quick and reasonable compromise, and then that's it. Game over. We're not going anywhere or inviting anyone for the holidays. I can't stop folks from being jerks, but I certainly can limity my exposure to them.
I don't know if I'm missing the wiring in my brain that makes me care about this sort of thing (which is my wife's theory), but fighting through a conflict like this isn't worth the effort. Particularly because in this type of debate, at least one side (and often both of them) adopt a completely unreasonable and irrational position. Even if a cease-fire agreement can be reached, enough bad things have been said and felt that the peace is uneasy at best.
MITCH ALBOM'S PLAY "DUCK HUNTER SHOOTS ANGEL" is at Circle Theater and runs through the 24th.
HERE'S THE LINEUP for the 2006 Blues on the Mall series at Rosa Parks Circle:
Kenny Neal kicked things off on Wednesday. WLAV-FM sponsors the series.
THE MICHIGAN SENATE VOTED TO LOWER THE HUNTING AGE:
The main bill would drop the age requirement for hunting deer, elk and bear with firearms from 14 to 12. It would lower the legal age for hunting small game such as birds and squirrels from 12 to 10.
THE FIRST SCULPTURE in the "Tom Otterness in Grand Rapids" event was unveiled Tuesday in front of the Kent County Courthouse. A total of 35 will be placed in downtown GR, plus another 5 within Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.
For more info and a printable map showing the locations of the 40 sculptures, see this PDF.
TICKETS FOR JOHN FOGERTY AND WILLIE NELSON go on sale this Saturday for the August 18th show at DTE Energy Music Theater.
You can buy them now at LiveNation.
