Urban St. Fall 2023

Publisher Jason Hosko

Editorial Editor: Lisa Enos

Managing Editor: Ann Smith

Contributors: Jeremy Gonsior, Elizabeth Granger, Jason Roth

Design

Creative Director: Lindsay Richards

Art Director: Justin Stenson

Senior Production Artist: Stephanie Daniel

Junior Art Director: Steven Prokuda

Photography: Bethany Kruger, deVries Photography by Carmel Musich

Sales

Account Executives: Nick Irwin, Maddy Gill, Haylee Mozug

Production Production Director: Jenine Knox

Prepress Artist: Jonathan Boedecker

Senior Production Coordinator: Jill Berry

Production Designers: James Bibart, Kathryn Dave

IT

IT Director: Jeremy Leland

Circulation

Circulation Manager: Cindy Fish

Web

Digital Director: Nick Britsky

Digital Development Specialist: Jim Bowser

Administration

Director Of Business Operations: Kathie Gorecki

Assistant Office Manager: Natasha Bajju

Senior Accounting Associate: Andrew Kotzian

Accounting Associates: Samantha Dick, Austin Schmelzle

Published By Hour Media

CEO: Stefan Wanczyk

President: John Balardo

Words worth repeating

I don’t typically turn to Stephen King for inspiration. But here, he nails it: “When fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays a while like an old friend that you have missed.”

Autumn does feel like an old friend. Pulling on warm socks again is a delight. The word “snuggle” returns to my working vocabulary. I bustle around the kitchen whipping up pumpkin everything. Energized by cooler temperatures, do you lengthen your bike rides, or hike up dunes that seemed too tall and hot in August? Do you pull the crockpot out from the dark reaches of your kitchen cabinets?

If you love to be outdoors when the air gets crisp, turn to page #12 to get acquainted with some hiking trails that may be new to you — and that you don’t need to be ultra-fit to enjoy. Or is Sunday football more your fall routine? The Urban Kitchen recipe on page #41 is great to roll out when a gang’s coming over to watch a game with you. As fall color transforms trees, combine a “leaf-peeping” drive with a treasure hunt of sorts along the Pigeon River Quilt Trail, which spreads its own kind of color along country roads (page #20).

Speaking of art, Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize is back for the second half of September (concluding on Oct. 1). To see what some lakeshore artists have entered in this year’s installment of the world-famous festival and competition, turn to page #24.

Elsewhere in this issue you can read about a local artisan cheesemaker, a place you can drink beer or brew it yourself, and restaurants and dishes our reviewers recommend. Get the lowdown on a Halloween parade for adults and two small-town fall festivals for all ages. Learn about a regional animal shelter’s innovative programs (and ways you can support its work). From a short list proposed by a bookstore proprietor, find a book to curl up with about an inspiring life.

As we gradually move back indoors and embrace the pleasures of home, we hope you’ll find warm companionship and opportunities to knit even closer ties to neighbors and your community. That’s one of many ways West Michigan really shines. We’re so pleased to be part of it.

Ann Smith Managing Editor

PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

On Our Radar

On Our Radar

Get your five a day with some zip

Walkaway cups of cut fruit drizzled with sweet-and-sour chamoy are a signature item at Mezkla Taqueria & Fruteria at 64 West 8th Street in Holland (half a block from the farmers market). It opened in May. A dash of chile powder makes the pickled fruit syrup an even zingier seasoning for spears of pineapple, cucumber, and mango. Other menu items include vegetable or meat tacos, elote (street corn), and Mezkla’s aguataco: half an avocado with the fixings for a taco stuffed inside (minus the tortilla). mezklataqueria.com

Ice hockey by the lakeshore

The Lumberjacks are at it again — their first game of the season was on September 8 against the Phantoms on that team’s home ice in Youngstown, Ohio. But if you’re reading this soon after this issue of Urban St. was released, you may still be able to make their opening home game on September 16 at Trinity Health Arena in Muskegon. Should you miss it, you can surely catch another. The season runs through April 2024. The team is part of the “Tier 1” United States Hockey League, which fields 16 Midwestern teams with players aged 16 to 21. In 2021, three Lumberjacks were drafted by pro teams: Alex Gagne went to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Cameron Berg to the Islanders, and Hank Kempf to the Rangers. Whose big year might come around this season? muskegonlumberjacks.com

Dine or drink up on the roof

After-the-game hot spot, The Early Owl, opened in July at 451 West Western Ave., Muskegon. Its special twist? On top of serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner five days a week, on Fridays and Saturdays

The Owl keeps the cocktails and late-night apps train running on the roof till midnight. (Seasonally, we’re guessing.) A late-night menu (served from 10 p.m. onward) leans fish-ward with crab cakes, oysters, ceviche, and peel-and-eat smoked shrimp, among other items. Earlier in the day, try Dutch baby pancakes or choose from The Owl’s breakfast chorizo dishes. At lunch and dinner there’s a selection of sandwiches, burgers, and salads. Want a West Michigan touch? Try the Michigan cherry burger (cherries are in a relish) or cherry pie, baked by Woodland Farm Markets in Shelby. facebook.com/earlyowl

Mezkla.

The Early Owl.

Muskegon Lumberjacks.

On Our Radar

Family fun the small-town way

Family-oriented festivals mark fall in Zeeland and Fennville. First, there’s Zeeland’s Pumpkinfest, Oct. 6-7, a community tradition for more than 35 years. The festival provides all things fall for kids: horse-drawn hayrides, pumpkins to decorate, pumpkin cookies to decorate, a street fair and parade. This year’s parade theme is Reach for the Stars, so expect fun riffs on starlight and vertical activity. The Avenue of Art will be back, too — big wooden panels that local artists decorate for festivalgoers to enjoy. Festival hours have shifted, so check the website before you get in the car.

The following weekend, Oct. 12-15, Fennville’s annual Goose Festival will include a carnival, live music, food trucks, a car show, pickleball and cornhole tournaments, and plenty of stuff for kids. A few Thursday night events get the party started early. The Gooseberry 5K sets off Saturday morning, followed by an afternoon parade. The downtown social district invites strolling with brews or cocktails from Salt of the Earth, El Jaripeo, and Root. zeelandfestivals.com/pumpkinfest fennvillegoosefestival.com

For folks of all abilities, an inclusive playground that pulls out all the stops

The early summer overhaul of Holland’s Moran Park (515 Maple Ave.) installed a modern generation of adaptive playground equipment and ramps that enable kids or adults with mobility issues to access a slide, climbing structures, and sensory equipment. The inclusive playground’s features include “Expression” swings, which allow a child to transfer from a wheelchair into a bucket swing that also accommodates someone on a facing seat, so they can swing together with their eyes at the same level. A park visitor of any age can wheel a wheelchair onto a Rock-N-Raft and make it move, with a companion on a facing seat. “So often, a person in a wheelchair doesn’t get to experience a whole lot of movement when they’re in their chair,” says Diane Sinclair, whose Holland family firm was the contractor. Other structures offer auditory feedback and a Braille play surface. “Neighborhood kids are using it like crazy,” Holland Parks and Recreation Director Andy Kenyon reports. “Kids that have friends that have special needs can play alongside them on a structure like this.”

Gorgeous, precious, and now on display in Muskegon

Antiques Roadshow is as close as most of us will get to an early-20th-century Tiffany lamp. (One sold for $3.3 million in 2018.) Till now, that is. Through mid-January 2024, a show that just opened at the Muskegon Museum of art displays 15 of the lamps with leaded glass shades, plus a Tiffany stained-glass window. In addition to celebrating the artistry of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the exhibition shines a spotlight on Clara Driscoll, who created many Tiffany Studio patterns. muskegonartmuseum.org

Pumpkinfest.

Moran Park.

Tiffany Dragonfly lamp.

Cool Hikes

THIS FALL, TRY SOME TRAILS OFF THE BEATEN PATH

by Ann Smith

Open space is a true joy, and West Michigan is blessed with lots of it. On hot September and October days when summer’s hanging on, sunny beaches and dunes can feel too open. Into each life a little shade should fall.

You may have explored the lakeshore’s stellar large parks, traversing shaded trails in Hoffmaster State Park, Saugatuck Dunes State Park and the like.

Here, we’ll introduce you to six of their diminutive cousins. Scattered around the lakeshore in small towns are municipal and county parks where huge trees shade trails, cool rivers flow, or trails atop dunes get hikers up into the breeze-off-the-big-lake stratosphere. You may know of others. Talk them up and invite your friends! These refreshing retreats deserve just as much love as their big-name counterparts.

Some trails described below are in communities too small for a post office, so USPS street addresses use an adjacent town’s name. The “GPS address” will get you there.

To autumn hikers, a reminder channeling our moms and dads: remember to wear bright colors! Deer hunting season starts October 1. On the brighter side, summer parking fees ended with Labor Day weekend.

North Ottawa Dunes, Ferrysburg

Enter and park at Coast Guard Park, 18161 North Shore Rd.

Easy to strenuous hiking

South of Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, what looks on a Google map like a tiny blip is actually close to 600 acres of massive, forested dunes. They stretch for a third of a mile along Lake Michigan. A 10-mile trail network links the peaceful, secluded wilderness to Hoffmaster and, to the south, Ottawa Sands Park. Some of the packed trails are a workout, but many are easy to conquer.

Hanging out at Sanctuary Woods

PHOTO: JIM HAYDEN / LAKETOWN TOWNSHIP

Park: 593 acres

Trails: 10 miles. The trailhead’s off the Coast Guard Park parking lot.

Parking: paved | ample

Trail surface: natural

Elevation change: 185 feet

Modern restrooms (during warm months) in Coast Guard Park

Picnic tables

Leashed dogs allowed on trails, but not on dune stairs. miottawa.org/parks/dunes.htm

North Ottowa Dunes

PHOTO: COURTESY OF OTTOWA COUNTY PARKS

Rosy Mound Natural Area, Grand Haven

13925 Lakeshore Dr. Easy to moderate hiking

Rosy Mound has a split personality. It’s a favorite spot of ambitious hikers who happily scale staircase after staircase over its tree-covered high dunes to reach the beach or a trail loop that hooks north. But there’s another option: where the handicap accessible main trail divides about a quarter mile from the parking lot, the Acorn Trail offers an accessible path through ground level pine forest. Signage at trail marker 2 guides the way.

Park: 164 acres

Trails: dune trail to the beach, 2.2 miles

| Acorn Trail, .75 mile

Parking: paved, ample

Trail surface: natural

Elevation change: main trail, 171 feet

| Acorn Trail, minimal

Modern restrooms near parking

| rustic toilets at beach

Picnic tables & grills

No dogs (except leader dogs for people with disabilities).

miottawa.org/Parks/rosymound.htm

Pigeon Creek Park, Olive Township

GPS address: 12524 Stanton St., West Olive

Easy to moderate hiking

Winter sports are the claim to fame of this county park east of US-31. But its 10 miles of cross-country ski trails welcome hikers spring, summer, and fall. (Two maps are posted online, for skiers and off-season hikers.) Deciduous trees shade

Rosy Mound

PHOTO: CARMEL BROWN / DEVRIES PHOTOGRAPHY

Follow the trail at Rosy Mound

many trails, along with aged pines dating from the site’s lumbering days. Stanton Street bisects the park, so leave your car at a lot in the middle and choose a southern or northern trail loop. Major ones range from 1.7 to 2.8 miles.

Park: 282-acre park + 130 adjacent acres of open space

Trails: 10 miles

Parking: gravel, ample Trail surface: natural

Elevation change: 72’ Pit toilets | modern restrooms in park lodge

Picnic tables & grills

Leashed dogs allowed, except during cross-country skiing season miottawa.org/parks/pigeoncreek.htm

Sanctuary Woods Preserve, Laketown Township

GPS address: 4750 66th St, Holland

Moderate hiking

Dense tree cover keeps air cool in Sanctuary Woods. We cannot promise, though, that you’ll feel spring fresh after climbing 170 wooden steps to the top of the nature preserve’s dunes. Once leaves begin to fall, views open up of Lake Michigan and Holland’s Lake Macatawa. Dirt trails laced with exposed roots meander around the top of the dunes to overlook points. Easier trails at ground level pass a collapsed 1914 Interurban Railway bridge.

Park: 40 acres

Trail: .9 mile

Parking: unpaved | sparse. This lot fills up quickly.

Trail surface: lower level, paved | upper level, natural

Elevation change: estimated 160 feet

Port-a-potty

No dogs

laketowntwp.org/sanctuary-woods

Sanctuary Woods

Pigeon Creek

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF OTTOWA COUNTY PARKS / JIM HAYDEN / LAKETOWN TOWNSHIP

Wolters Woods, Laketown Township

GPS address: 6281 147th Ave., Holland

Easy hiking

This completely shaded municipal park near Laketown’s north boundary is perfect for warm weather walking. The .7-mile trail is especially dark and cool where it passes under thick tree canopy by a ravine. On hot days, locals duck in for an 8-minute run that won’t make them wilt. With young kids, it can be a 45-minute ramble. The few small hills slope so gently that even someone using a walker can navigate the trail comfortably.

Park: 37 acres

Trail: .7 mile

Parking: paved | ample

Trail surface: crushed stone on dirt

Elevation change: minimal

Pit toilet

Playground | picnic pavilion | horseshoe pit

No dogs

alltrails.com/trail/us/michigan/ wolters-woods-park-loop

River Bluff Park, Saugatuck Township

Off Old Allegan Rd. just east of I-196

Easy hiking

Out-of-towners commonly encounter the Kalamazoo River in downtown Saugatuck or at the bridge park in Manlius Township to the east. But surprise: midway between them, where the river widens into Tyler Bayou, a crescent of land tucked between I-196 and the water offers cool trails and 1200 feet of townowned river frontage. Huge hemlocks, oaks, and beech trees shade River Bluff

Park’s point-to-point trail to the river; from there, an upper trail loops over an inland dune.

Park: 27 acres

Trail: .7 miles (not counting upper loop)

Parking: unpaved | ample

Trail surface: natural, with a boardwalk over wetlands

Elevation change: minimal

Port-a-potty

Benches along trail | picnic tables | swings

Leashed dogs allowed alltrails.com/trail/us/michigan/ river-bluff-park

Wolters Woods

River Bluff

Take a Hike

1. North Ottawa Dunes, Ferrysburg

2. Rosy Mound Natural Area, Grand Haven

3. Pigeon Creek Park, Olive Township

4. Sanctuary Woods Preserve, Laketown Township

5. Wolters Woods, Laketown Township

6. River Bluff Park, Saugatuck Township

Halloween Parade for Adults

Douglas, October 28

What makes a parade a festival? Twelve thousand spectators. Costume judging contests in two towns’ restaurants and bars. Free shuttle buses making constant loops between Douglas and Saugatuck throughout the day, and after the Saturday night parade wraps up. It’s one of the busiest weekends of the year in Douglas and Saugatuck.

The parade on Oct. 28 is billed as an adult event. “If people bring their kids to a parade at 10 p.m., they probably have an inkling that there may be some adult content,” says Erin Wilkinson, who heads up the event planning. “In this community, people aren’t offended by the content. People assume it’s going to be risqué and flamboyant — it really isn’t. We don’t let anything offensive down the road.”

We’ll leave the daytime fun and games to you to figure out. Here’s the scoop on the 10 p.m.

parade. Last year 720 people participated, some solo and quite a few in groups that dress up together as, for instance, the Rockford Peaches women’s baseball team from A League of Their Own, but with beards. “You know the kids who made their own costumes? This is where those people go when they grow up,” Wilkinson says.

The parade only goes four blocks, but it lasts about an hour. That’s partly because it zigzags, so spectators on both sides of Center Street can get a great view of every costume. Also, performances are part of the package. When a book group Wilkinson calls “the funniest ladies in Saugatuck” dressed one year as a bunch of people on a roller coaster, they paused frequently to lean right together, lean left, and scream. Multiply shenanigans like that by a whole bunch of fun-loving groups. You get the picture.

FEATURED THIS YEAR

It’s the parade’s 25th anniversary, so expect some celebration.

The logistical lowdown

Tiny town + thousands of people = a good reason to arrive early to park. Make a day of it in Saugatuck or Douglas, then make your way to the parade route on foot or by shuttle as night falls.

Parking is available in Saugatuck in public lots and on the streets. Limited on-street parking is available in Douglas (and fills up early). Free parking is also available at 200 Blue Star Highway, a former Haworth facility about a third of a mile from the parade route.

Free shuttles will run regularly during the day and evening between Douglas and Saugatuck, and between downtown Douglas and 200 Blue Star Highway. For shuttle details, see the event website.

To participate, just show up at 9 p.m. at 130 West Center Street in Douglas (the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center, aka The Old School House). Volunteers will get participants lined up. At 10 p.m., the parade will set off down Center Street led by the Pumpkin King.

Not allowed in the parade: Motorized vehicles. Tossing candy or other items to spectators.

Parental advisory: The event website notes that some costumes may be “very mature for young eyes” and advises parents to be prepared to have a “very adult conversation” with kids about some costumes they may see. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

October 28, 10 p.m.

W. Center Street, Douglas douglashalloween.com

Demonic Duo.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF DOUGLAS HALLOWEEN

The Rockford Peaches.

Light up Dandys.

Beauty and the Beast.

Dozens of quilt squares have bloomed on barns, homes, and outbuildings in Olive Township over the past decade. Most can be tracked back to Kit and Sandy Karsten’s henhouse — and a trip to Pennsylvania.

“We went out to Amish country to enjoy their quilts,” Sandy Karsten explains. “They were in flower form, like gardens, and they also had some on buildings. That was the catalyst for our thinking that we could bring this back to Olive Township.”

Two of her friends already had quilt squares on buildings of their own. The Karstens decided to join in. They started with their chicken coop; Sandy painted a “hens and chicks” quilt square on wood and they nailed it up. Next, a “patriotic pride” quilt block went up on the utility shed — the flag motif in honor of 13 family members who’ve served in the military from World War I till now.

The retired teachers have deep agricultural roots and a bent for history. He’s the president of the Olive Township Historical Society; she’s vice president. Their home has been in her family for nearly 100 years.

In Amish country, they’d enjoyed “quilt trails” — backroad driving tours detailed in flyers with maps, so visitors can find Amish barns painted with hex signs (a form of Pennsylvania Dutch folk art) and with quilt patterns that are a more recent tradition.

“We decided to make the Pigeon River Quilt Trail an actual place for people to visit,” Karsten says.

Starting in 2015, through word of mouth and notices in the Historical Society newsletter, they invited others in town to decorate their homes and outbuildings, too, to celebrate Olive Township’s agricultural traditions, community pride, and hospitality.

The Karstens’ neighbors around the corner got onboard. Ron and Sally Hosley put up a “tree of life” square. On the other side of the street, when Neil and Elaine Jacobsen’s 60th anniversary rolled around, their children gave them a “pinwheel in the round” quilt block, which is mounted on their 100-year-old barn.

A “tulips and crosses” block adorns Ottawa Reformed Church. A “mariner’s

compass” square, a colorful pattern created by the Amish in Shipsewana, Indiana, decorates the barn at the Zeinstra farm. On Rog and Karen Headley’s, a “friendship star” square is dedicated to Karen’s grandmother, Tena VanderKooi Bartels, who poured hours and hours into creating beautiful quilts for family and friends.

Olive Township’s municipal website makes it easy for anyone to drive by and enjoy them. The quilt trail’s web pages include two photo galleries (one of patterns, the other of the structures), a bit of information about each one, and links to a Google map of all of them. As of mid-summer, there were 44, with two more households poised to join.

A few are near the Pigeon River in Blendon and Robinson Townships, but about 90% are in Olive Township. (Some addresses read “Zeeland,” “Holland,” or “West Olive,” but that’s just because the post office assigns those town names to street addresses in Olive Township, which no longer has a post office.)

The Karstens are so enthusiastic about the project that Sandy has painted quilt blocks on wood panels for some other Olive residents, for free. All they needed to do was mount them on their home, barn, or other building.

They’re also enthusiastic about having people come see theirs. At some homes, a drive-by does the trick. But the Karstens’

quilt squares are on buildings hard to see from the street, so they invite visitors to walk back to take a look. “We’ve had people walking down our driveway. We go out and talk with them,” Kit says. “It’s a nice way to meet people,” Sandy adds.

olivetownship.org/oths/pigeon-riverquilt-trail

Quilt trails elsewhere in Michigan are detailed online, too. Find links to some of them at mibarn.net/resources/quilt-barn-trails.

Country Patriotic Flag for Ron and Jane Brouwe.

Kit and Sandy Karsten.

Maple Leaves quilt square for Jerry and Bev Machiela.

PHOTOS: PORTRAIT BY ANN SMITH, OTHERS COURTESY OF PIGEON RIVER QUILT TRAIL

Say ‘cheese!’

Worldwide as well as local choices available in West Michigan

By Elizabeth Granger

I was aboard the S.S. Badger carferry, leaving Ludington for Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Below us, on a small fishing boat, a guy stood up and shouted, “When you come back, bring cheese!”

Oh, Wisconsin. I know you’re the cheese capital of the universe, but west Michigan has my cheese needs covered. Yes, you’re involved, but I don’t need to go to Wisconsin because here I can find your cheeses along with those made in Michigan as well as from around the world.

The Cheese Lady in Muskegon is a smart go-to source for all things cheese. Owner Shelley Essebaggers has Michigan cheese, but really, just a small supply because, well, there isn’t all that much from Michigan.

“We don’t have as many cows as Wisconsin does,” she explained. “Wisconsin is naturally inclined to have a lot of cheesemakers because they produce so much milk.”

For sure. Wisconsin produces more cheese in America than does any other state. Stats tell us there are more than 1,200 licensed cheesemakers and 600 varieties of cheese in the Badger State.

But in West Michigan, specifically Fennville, little Evergreen Lane Creamery is producing cheese worth tasting. The story there involves a Chicago couple, her grandparents, and a stray goat.

In 2000

Cathy Halinski and her husband

Tom walked away from city living and corporate jobs in Chicago to move to tiny Fennville. To 40 acres on the outskirts of Fennville, actually. Cathy knew the area from childhood visits to see her grandparents.

There was work to be done, including some remodeling on the farmhouse. The carpenter left the door open one day; in walked Gaby the Goat, unannounced. They all looked for her owner, but there appeared to be none. Gaby was a stray, so she became part of the Halinski family.

Then Tom bought another goat for Cathy. By 2008 they had 50 goats and were making goat cheese.

The Cheese lady‘s shop interior.

“It was too much,” Cathy said. She chose the cheesemaking, and most of the goats left.

Today there are about a dozen goats at Evergreen Lane. “Pasture ornaments,” they’re called. Each has a name, and when Cathy calls out to them, they scamper over to see her. There are Netta and Nadine and Umbra and Uma and

The making of cheese continues, with cheesemaker Carmen Atlee-Loudon and milk from cows as well as goats at local farms.

There’s also an apple orchard with U-Pick apples in the fall. And scheduled Hike with the Herd goat walks to the orchard, akin to walking with dogs.

Evergreen Lane cheese is available at delis that include The Farmhouse in Douglas and Pennyroyal in Saugatuck as well as at the creamery itself.

In Grand Haven, about 35 miles to the north, J-Dub’s Market & Wine Shop includes Michigan cheeses from Farm Country Cheese House in Lakeview and Natural Northern in Traverse City.

In Muskegon, even farther to the north, The Cheese Lady offers cheeses from Idyll Pastures in Northport as well as cheeses from Wisconsin. About 20% of Essebaggers’ cheese is domestic; the rest is generally from Europe – the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and Italy. There’s even a cheese from the Canary Islands.

The Cheese Lady is a franchise begun by Kathleen Riegler in Muskegon in 2007. Essebaggers worked there, and in 2016 she bought the store from Riegler. There are seven franchises, known as “sisterhoods,” throughout Michigan; Riegler advises all seven.

“We have a little bit of everything that goes with cheese,” Essebaggers said. “A lot

PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH GRANGER

of people are intimidated to come in here. They think they have to know before they come into a cheese store. They really don’t. We’re here to help; that’s part of our experience. We’ve learned to recognize the ‘deer in the headlights’ look; we have mastered figuring out what you want.”

She said she wants “to eliminate the pretentiousness in cheese. Honestly, we have everybody from every nook and cranny of this area come into our store. I love the diversity of our customers.”

At Nelis’ Dutch Village in Holland, there’s a daily cheesemaking demonstration showing how it was done long ago, with antiquated equipment. And there’s a wide selection of cheeses from farmsteads in the Netherlands available to buy.

Operations manager Luke Curtis, definitely a cheese expert, said there are more than 30 kinds of cheese with unlimited sampling. Visitors’ typical reaction? “Oh, wow!”

Evergreen Lane Creamery

1824 66th St. Fennville, MI (269) 686-6474

The Cheese Lady

808 Terrace St. Muskegon, MI (231) 728-3000

Nelis’ Dutch Village

12350 James St. Holland, MI (616) 396-1475

Carmen Atlee-Louden stirs a vat of mattone, a talegio style cheese.

A sculpture at Nelis’ Dutch Village, Holland.

ArtPrize Artists from the Lakeshore

By Ann Smith

The 2022 headlines that artPrize had breathed its last were premature. Last fall, rather than shutting down Grand Rapids’ renowned art festival and competition after a 13-year run, its board of directors turned over the reins to a new private-public partnership. From September 14 to October 1, the show will once again go on.

This year, work by more than 800 artists will be exhibited at more than 150 venues. They range from the cavernous DeVos Place convention center to small shops and bars. Among the artists, of course, there are Michiganders — including more than 20 who live in towns on the lakeshore from Muskegon to Fennville. Meet four of them, each with their own motivation for participating.

HaNK JIMENEZ

Give Hank Jimenez a blue pencil and a Sharpie and he’s good to go.

Since he was a kid, Jimenez has loved to draw. He started with comic books and still considers himself a cartoonist. In high school he worked with India ink. These days he begins his elaborate, fanciful drawings by outlining in pencil. Goes over those with a Sharpie. Adds shadows, erases the blue lines, and uses fine tip markers to fill in areas with tiny dots.

“There’s probably a million dots on this thing,” he says of “Democracy and Chaos,” which he entered in ArtPrize last year.

Drawing gets his mind off things, he says. “I can sit there and look at whatever comes out of my head.” For a long time that was plenty.

Then he started going to ArtPrize.

“You see some incredible stuff. I remember when the big prize winner was the artist who painted the elephants [Adonna Khare, whose massive mural won in 2012]. Over the years, I started thinking, ‘I can maybe do something that way’,” Jimenez said. He’s not immersed in the art world; he makes his living as a bus driver. So that was something new to wrap his mind around.

He credits his friend Hanna Gogola for encouraging him to complete pieces for the festival in 2022 and again this year. He spent months on the detailed drawing and shading. Gogola also lined up venues for him.

Jimenez’s 2023 ArtPrize entry is called “Octopus’s Garden.” In keeping with the Beatles title (he’s a fan), he dropped a yellow submarine into the background.

Some of his artwork hangs on his walls at home. “People come over and the same people see it. But this is neat because hundreds of people are seeing it,” he says. “That’s my victory.”

See Hank Jimenez’s entry in The Bistro at Courtyard by Marriott Downtown, 11 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids

“Octopus’s Garden,”2023, Hank Jimenez

MAGGIE CLIFFORD-BANDSTRA

Maggie Clifford-Bandstra calls her paintings “nature abstracted.” She takes photos as she walks outdoors; later, in her studios in Grand Haven and Holland, she “pulls out” certain elements. “They typically become a symbol of something, or shapes that I see repeating — the landscape communicating with me,” the Grand Haven artist says.

She has entered every ArtPrize.

“I don’t enter with the anticipation of winning, but with the anticipation of making new connections and meeting new people, and to witness people who witness my work,” she says.

Three times, she entered ceramic pieces. The rest have been paintings, such as her 2021 “Poppy Project,” a painting that drew wide media attention in West Michigan.

Her entry this year is another expansive, intricate painting of flowers — a field of sweet William this time, three canvasses hung as a 10-foot by nearly 6-foot triptych. “I love working large,” Clifford-Bandstra said.

She works at Ox-Bow School of Art in Saugatuck, and was involved in the recent start-up of the school’s downtown Douglas gallery, Ox Bow House. Previously, Clifford-Bandstra taught art at the elementary school level.

At ArtPrize in 2018, she painted a new canvas at her venue every day (as an entry in the “time-based” category). Being there for 21 days gave her ample opportunity to observe visitors’ responses.

“There were lots of pretty things. I had this bench out, and one woman sat on the bench and looked at the paintings and started to cry,” she recalls. “That was an interesting reaction I didn’t expect with these florals. That happened a number of times with ‘The Poppy Project,’ too; that flower is associated with war and grief and death. Creating a space for something really beautiful to open up some emotional layers is interesting.”

See Maggie Clifford-Bandstra’s entry at Devos Place, 303 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids. View more of her work at maggiebandstra.com

CHRISTINE TOWNER

Christine Towner puts a very modern spin on an ancient art form.

The Zeeland artist works with encaustic, a mixture of beeswax and varnish. Applying it to wood or paper at just the right temperature, an artist can achieve transparent or translucent qualities, or tint it heavily to make the material opaque.

“The medium just intrigued me. I absolutely love working with it. It has so many opportunities to be creative and to be different,” Towner says. “You can make it incredibly translucent because of the beeswax component. You can create all kinds

“Sweet William in the Grass,“ 2023 Maggie Clifford-Bandstra

“Grand Canyon,” 2022 Christine Towner

of texture. You can embed artifacts in it like crazy. You can dip paper in it — oh my gosh, I think I’ve done everything.

“The skill, in my opinion, is being able to balance translucency and opacity. That technique has taken me years to perfect. It’s not easy. I have to scrape with big razorblades to make sure each layer is totally smooth, if I’m looking for that translucent work.”

The abstract expressionist was passionate about art while working in dentistry and business. More than 20 years ago, she set those aside for a final career as an artist.

This is Towner’s twelfth ArtPrize. Her inspiration for the piece she created for this year’s festival, “Canyon,” was seeing the Grand Canyon from above, in a helicopter. She mixed red oxide pigment into the encaustic to call up the colors of natural rock.

One of Towner’s favorite aspects of ArtPrize is the opportunity to connect with other artists. “The cultural, global approach that ArtPrize brings — I like being a part of that. To me, that’s just another dimension of art.”

See Christine Towner’s entry at the Periwinkle FOG gift shop in the Ledyard Building, 125 Ottawa Ave NW #160, Grand Rapids. View more of her art at christinetowner.com

CRaIG GEISER

“as someone with schizophrenia, I find the process of creating pieces of art to be calming and rewarding,” Craig Geiser wrote in his ArtPrize artist statement this year. “I just create to create, because it feels good. I can escape into a safe world.”

This year, his ArtPrize entry is a realistic photo, “Dog Day Afternoon.”

But most of Geiser’s art is decidedly different. The abstract faces he creates with paint pens are inspired by the distorted visual experiences he sometimes has. That, and his enthusiasm for primitive forms, wild colors, and tight focus. He characterizes the pieces as outsider art.

Years back, someone asked him why he combines the colors he does. In a

friendly way, they compared it to wearing mismatched socks. “I said to him, ‘Screw the rules, and do what feels good’,” Geiser relates cheerfully.

“When I go to look at art, the art I look at is kids’ art,” says Geiser, who lives in Holland. “They’re so creative. The colors they use don’t make sense. They go outside of the lines — they don’t have any set feelings about how they should do art — they just do it. That’s what I want to do. When I’m done, I just like to look at someone looking back at me out of the paper.”

This is Geiser’s fifth ArtPrize; he’s entered on and off since 2011. “It’s just fun. Entertainment. Exciting,” he says. In 2010, his work was exhibited at the Holland Area Arts Council gallery.

One of Geiser’s goals for his art is to help people understand how the brain influences people’s understanding of reality. He also speaks in college classes and churches on the topic, and he writes. As he put it in his ArtPrize statement, “mental illness does not define a person or prevent them from living a life full of passion and compassion.”

See Craig Geiser’s entry at Rockwell Republic, 45 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids

ArtPrize

Sept. 14 - Oct. 1 Grand Rapids artprize.org

“Tapestry,” 2011, Craig Geiser

Small Plates, Big Variety

Love

at first bite at Poquito Spanish & Latin Kitchen

Walk into Poquito in downtown Holland and you are quickly immersed into a special world, one where sharing food, memories, and smiles comes easily.

The instrumental Spanish music sets the tone. There is a dark reclaimed wood wall to the left, long communal tables in the front, a gorgeous bar in the back, decorative tiles on the floor below, and intimate tables on the right.

You are quickly seduced into more than just a culinary experience, it’s a cultural one too, as the restaurant likes to say.

Poquito focuses on tapas, or shareable small plates, with Spanish and Latin roots. The dishes are designed to be eaten communally, in stages, so the pace of the meal is up to you.

In other words, take your time.

Paquito is located at 90 W 8th St, Holland, and is part of 1983 Restaurants, a local group founded by Lucas Grill that owns Obstacle No. 1, a cocktail lounge next door, and Seventy-Six, a restaurant a few doors down.

“Each restaurant has been crafted around an experience, and each experience has been crafted around good drink and good food,” 1983 Restaurants states on their site.

After my mesmerizing walk in, my Paquito experience was off to a great start. I pored through the menu organized into vegetables, cheese, chicken, seafood and shellfish, pork, and beef dishes.

As someone who enjoys variety, this was my dream.

My friend arrived and it was time to dial things up. We started in the Latin Libations section; he ordered the Poquito Gin and Tonic, I ordered the Spanish Fashioned, which blended bourbon, sherry, and black walnut. Both cocktails were well-presented, and the taste delivered.

The server then expertly guided us through the menu until we selected five small plates to share, one from each category.

Our first wave of food included the Tacos Al Pastor and the Spicy Adobo Glazed Taquitos. The tacos were my favorite dish of the night. The pork, fire-roasted tomatillo

Adobe Glazed Taquitos.

A Spanish Fashioned.

Story and photos by Jeremy Gonsior

salsa, cilantro, and Spanish onion had a distinct, spicy flavor I devoured.

Basically, I found the new love of my life.

Great conversation ensued, the memories of my college days always spark laughter, but the restaurant’s communal atmosphere only accelerated the good vibes. In fact, we even talked politics, in a civil and respectful manner, nonetheless. Small plates truly can bring people together after all.

The next round featured the Spanish Cheese Board and the Lump Crab Buñuelos. The cheese board was the winner for me, thanks to cayenne honey butter that I dipped literally every piece of cheese in. Amazing.

My friend ordered another gin and tonic, he liked the drink that much, while I

checked out the blueberry cider on draft.

Then the final dish, the Manchego Truffle Fries, arrived and it did not disappoint. The fries came on a long plate, piled high, covered in Manchego, a sheep’s milk from Spain. What a finish.

Would I recommend Poquito? Absolutely. Just allow for two hours to get the full experience. And come hungry. Poquito 90 W 8th

Manchego Truffle Fries.

The Spanish Cheese Board.

The Bar.

BREW BEER Where the Pros Do

AND LET THEM DO THE DISHES

Brewing beer with friends at home is quite a project. Brewing beer with friends at Saugatuck Brewing involves parking the car, strolling in, and getting down to work with expert guidance. And partway through the two- to three-hour project, when you’ve been sampling the brewpub’s pitchers of various beers for quite some time, out of the kitchen come fresh-baked soft pretzels to soak up the suds.

That’s key if you started sipping at 10:45 in the morning. Lunch is also welcome when the work concludes. “It kind of takes the edge off,” says Patti Greer of Grand Haven, who one summer weekday was brewing an amber ale and a stout with colleagues from Fogg Filler in Holland (which manufactures, appropriately, equipment for filling beverage containers). She calls the experience “very fun.”

The Michigan Brewers Guild is aware of only one other one brewery in the state that has a “Brew on Premise” program (Stiggs in Boyne City). Saugatuck Brewing has done it for eons, for as many as 400 groups a year.

The process plays out along one wall of the brewpub’s bar and dining room. Five kettles sit side by side, each one sized for half a barrel of beer. The Fogg Filler group used two; bigger groups may keep all five in action. Pitchers of already-foamy ingredients rest on barrels.

While people take turns stirring the mash in the kettles with perforated red paddles to keep it at the proper temperature for enzymes to change starches to just the right amount of sugars for the varieties that are underway, those on a break chat with pros who shepherd the process. If you want

Story and photos by Ann Smith

to talk about amylase enzymes and flavor extraction, they’re your guys.

“People who drink beer are curious about how you make them. What are the ingredients, and what do they do? This is Beer 101,” Saugatuck Brewing’s co-founder Barry Johnson says. Twenty years ago, he ditched his job for “beer school” in Germany, so when die-hard enthusiasts come in, he gets it.

Producing a custom beer (serrano peppers, anyone?) for a wedding or other special occasion is what brings some folks in. Others make a party of it, or visit for workplace team-building. “Some brew at home and just get tired of all the cleaning,” Brew on Premise head brewer Bob Bayer reports.

A group’s hands-on hours at the kettles get things started. After they leave, the mixture is chilled out back in the brewery’s production room. Then it ferments for 12 to 14 days. A “cold crash” drop in temperature halts the chemical reactions.

Two to three weeks after their initial visit, groups return to taste, bottle, and

label their beer (with labels they design themselves). For every kettle used, Saugatuck Brewing guarantees they’ll take home at least 60 22-ounce bottles.

Brew on Premise manager Dexter Gauntlett recommends that interested people make arrangements with him two to four weeks in advance. He talks them through choices and recipes. When brewing day comes, it’s just a matter of showing up.

Saugatuck Brewing

2948 Blue Star Highway, Douglas 269-857-7222

saugatuckbrewing.com

While colleagues stir the mash, others enjoy samples. From left are, Karl Walby of Bloomfield Hills, Steve Kastens of Holland, and Patti Greer of Grand Haven.

Stirring the mash for amber ale and stout.

Two hundred and eighty framed beer labels designed by “Brew On Premises” clients decorate a brewpub hallway.

Sour pickles? How sweet.

The Toasted Pickle is big on fun as well as out-of-the-ordinary sandwiches

by Elizabeth Granger

Paul and Mary Bondarenko of Jackson, Michigan, were camping at Grand Haven State Park recently. A friend suggested they have lunch at The Toasted Pickle.

They sat down at the end of my table, so I promptly suggested the pickle poppers. Dill pickles wrapped in a thin, flaky dough and deep fried; proof that there is a toasted pickle at The Toasted Pickle.

It’s just one of many selections that start with the ordinary and finish with a flourish. Grilled cheese sandwich? The Green Goddess

featured on The Food Network/Cooking Channel – has the requisite cheddar, along with goat cheese, avocado, and pesto. It comes with a shot of tomato soup.

Burger? The Bacon Jam Burger actually comes with house-made bacon jam along with caramelized onions, cheddar and serrano crema.

Chicken sandwich? There are several, all with chicken as just the start. The High Nooner, for example, adds smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, tangy aioli.

The Nashville Hottie piles coleslaw, pickles and “hottie” sauce on top of the chicken.

It’s messy. “You often wear that sandwich,” says “dill sergeant” Jim Avery. His wife, Karen Zickus Avery, founded the sandwich shop in 2016. A second shop has been added in Rockford.

Other sandwiches start with roast beef, pulled pork, turkey, salami...

There’s lemonade, freshly squeezed, with the option of adding boba (tapioca pearls) that get sipped through a fat straw. Condiments sit in old-fashioned lunch buckets (like the one my dad took to work in the iron ore mines to the north). And one entire wall touts pickles!

High Nooner chicken sandwich.

It pays homage to Karen’s dad. “Papa Zeke used to make pickles,” Jim says. “He’d pickle everything.”

Papa Zeke was a good cook, sharing with Karen the love of not only good food – fun food at the center of a fun atmosphere.

So yes, dill pickles, as stand-alones, are on the menu.

But oh, those pickle poppers. “It took a lot of research, but we’ve had it (on the menu) since day one,” Jim says. “People didn’t know what they were, and it took a while for people to catch on. There’s a unique flavor that comes with the sauce and the wrap. It’s for pickle-lovers.”

There’s even a “very prestigious” trophy for the best pickle-popper employee. “We basically have someone rolling pickle poppers all the time,” Jim says. “It’s not as easy as it looks; it has to be done just right so the sauce can’t leak out. When you put it in the fryer, something happens.” Like magic.

The whole setting makes me laugh. Even the website is mirth-making with a secret society called The Order of the Toasted Pickle, and pickle-related puns (think dillight), and, OMG, a pickle shooting game. Go ahead; try your luck.

The Toasted Pickle seats maybe 50 inside, but there’s carry-out, too. Regulars as well as visitors can be seen outside the entrance on Washington Street, ordering and then waiting. There’s online ordering, too. And, instead of picking up an order, customers can get delivery service to Grand Haven’s downtown social district.

Sweet.

PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH GRANGER

Caption

The grilled cheese & tomato soup.

Pickle popper & dipping sauce.

CROCKPOT PULLED PORK with Apple Slaw

Ingredients

4-pound pork shoulder roast

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup + 1 1/2 teaspoons Fustini’s Michigan Apple Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tablespoon liquid smoke

2 apples

1 1/2 cups arugula

1 1/2 Tablespoons Fustini’s Garlic Olive Oil

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon Fustini’s Iron Fish

Bourbon Maple Syrup

Salt and pepper to taste

12+ Buns of your choice (pretzel, sourdough, etc.)

Directions

Step 1

Place the pork in a slow cooker and pour the liquid smoke and 1/2 cup of Michigan Apple Balsamic over it, turning a few times to coat. Sprinkle the meat with salt and the minced garlic. Put the cover on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Step 2

Lift the pork out of the slow cooker onto a large platter, baking pan, or cutting board (and leave the liquid in place). After 8 to 10 hours the meat will easily shred with a fork. Shred the meat, then return it to the slow cooker and mix it with the liquid. If there’s lots of liquid, turn the slow cooker to high, leave the lid off, and cook until the meat has absorbed some of it, up to 15 minutes.

Step 3

Make apple slaw and maple mustard: “Spiralize” the apples or cut them in thin, bite-sized pieces. Put them in a medium sized bowl with the arugula. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons Michigan Apple balsamic, and honey. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour it over the apples and greens and toss gently. In a separate bowl, mix the mustard and maple syrup.

Step 4

Assemble the sandwiches with the maple mustard on the bottom, followed by the shredded pork, and top with lots of apple slaw.

Makes 12 or more sandwiches.

Denise Walburg, director of corporate marketing at Fustini’s

Giving Back with  Harbor Humane Society

For 50 years, Harbor Humane Society has cared for and found homes for stray and surrendered cats, dogs, and other domestic animals. (Wildlife is cared for by other agencies.) The West Olive shelter’s contract with Ottawa County to provide those services covers 10 to 15 percent of its $2 million budget. It vaccinates, neuters, and microchips animals before releasing them for adoption (and cats are always “buy one get one free”). On a typical day, close to 200 animals are in residence, an equal number may be in temporary foster homes, and 40 people — staff and volunteers — keep things humming. The agency plans to launch a capital campaign in 2024 to expand the facility.

Q: Traditional pet adoption isn’t the only thing you do. Tell us a bit about some of your other initiatives.

Jen Self-Aulgur: We want the best outcome for each individual animal. Traditional adoption may not be the path for some of our animals. We’ve been able to create a “return to field” program for cats that have been loose in a town; we figure out if they’ve been living outside, and if they have, they’re neutered and released outside. Our working cat program helps cats that don’t want to be house cats — they want to go catch mice. [Harbor Humane places them in settings such as barns, nurseries, and warehouses that

offer shelter and a job to do.] Before, those animals would have been euthanized, and that’s not fair to them.

We have a foster program — it’s moms with kittens, mostly, especially in spring and summer. [In July, about 200 were in foster homes. They’re returned to the shelter when the kittens are old enough to be offered for adoption.] And all the puppies go into a home for two weeks to help them acclimate to a home and make sure the animals are healthy.

We also have a full-time community outreach coordinator, on a two-year grant from the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area. She’s a social worker. A big part of her job is to support people who are facing either being unsheltered or crises of some sort, to help them get hooked up with resources

Meet Jen Self-Aulgur, executive director of Harbor Humane Society

to keep their animals. It includes a safe haven foster program; if they find themselves homeless for a short amount of time or are trying to leave a domestic violence situation, we can take their animal into a foster home, so they don’t lose the animal, and have time to figure things out. If people are having trouble with money for vaccines or food, they can reach out to us, because we have a number of programs whose intent is to keep pets in their homes.

Q: What trends do you see nationally, and what’s the situation at Harbor Humane?

A: I don’t like to use the term “no kill shelter,” because it makes a shelter out to be a bad guy. There are, unfortunately, shelters that are forced to euthanize due to time and space. Luckily, Harbor Humane isn’t one of those. We’ve come a long way. I’ve been in sheltering for 20 years and we definitely have seen a huge increase in live release by adoption or a return to the owner.

Nationwide, shelters are experiencing large populations of dogs, especially large breed dogs, which can be harder to place. 2020, during the pandemic, was a record adoption year for us — everyone was home, so everyone wanted a pet. We haven’t seen those pets being returned, but we have seen the amount of strays increase, and the number of people who want to surrender pets for various reasons.

Q: How can people support Harbor Humane Society’s work?

A: What I love about this community is we put a need out and it’s answered. People come through in force and that support is amazing to see.

Adoption, obviously. And our volunteers are critical. The fulltime staff don’t have the capacity do all the fun things with the animals; we need volunteers to really give them attention and some love, like take dogs for walks and play with the cats.

We also always need donations, both monetary and of items: cat and dog food, wet and dry — gently used blankets and towels — paper towels — even empty medication bottles. We reuse them for animals’ medications.

Q: What would you most like people to know about shelter animals?

A: They aren’t broken. They are victims of circumstances and have ended up in a shelter for reasons beyond their control, typically — and they are wanting families. They are loving family members and just need someone to take a chance on them.

Harbor Humane Society

14345 Bagley St., West Olive 616-399-2119

harborhumane.org

The garden in front of the shelter facility, which is just off US 31.

Happy family welcoming their newest family member.

Contemplating adopting a cuddly kitten

URBAN ST. READS

If your fall schedule, like ours, is a little less hectic than summer, consider curling up with a few books about inspiring lives. Here are some recommendations from Mike O’Brien of the Book Cellar in Grand Haven.

First up, is a twofer from Author David Grann!

Killers of the Flower Moon from 2018 is soon to be a major motion picture. Set in the 1920s, this stellar non-fiction must-read tells the story of members of the Osage nation in Oklahoma that were systematically killed off when oil was discovered beneath their lands. This horrifying case sets up the establishment of the FBI.

The Wager is an equally riveting true story of shipwreck, survival, and depravity leading to a shocking court martial that must be read to be believed! David Grann has a true talent when it comes to taking history and turning into an absolutely riveting read. The Wager recounts the testimony of two sets of survivors from a ship that was wrecked while chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon. The two groups of survivors–found months apart– tell wildly different stories of the tyrannical, murderous anarchy that resulted in the deaths and the stranding of many Wager sailors. The ending is as shocking as it is horrific!

On the other end of the non-fiction reading list is I’m Glad my Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy. This memoir the iCarly and Sam is both hilarious and heartbreaking. Momager child stardom take center stage in this emotional coaster. This memoir exposes the seedy childhood stardom the mothers who feed it. Jeanette is a well-paid actress who is broke, broken, anxiety ridden and a star who ends up with disorders, serious addictions and zero self-worth. Things take a positive turn when self-love, and a lease on life bring Jeanette from the brink.

Read The Daydreams by Laura Hankin for a fictitious view of what it’s like to be a star like Jeanette McCurdy. Hilarious and repulsive, this take on a fictional group of people starring in a teenage sitcom is a fun companion to I’m glad my Mom Died. Set thirteen years after a scandalous live season finale show, Daydreams gives you a look into the lives of four stars who went down very different paths, and how those paths come back together. Reading the two books will have you daydreaming about what a Sam and Cat reunion would look like.

Finally, we shall end this list of recommendations on a Musical note with Beyond the

Story:10-Year Record

of BTS by BTS, Myeongseok Kang (and translators). It is hard to believe that our ears have been graced for TEN amazing years by the harmonic voices of this iconic musical act. Celebrate these global artists with a look back at their steps into the international spotlight! Loaded with photos, track lists, and QR codes to more than 330 photos and videos, this book is a remarkable must-have for every music lover!

Look for all of these amazing reads at your local independent bookshop.

The Book Cellar

8 N. 7th Street in Grand Haven 616-296-0465

The Book Cellar also has at least 3 major events each month. Author meet and greets, parties, give aways and music are monthly events!

Star Café

My destination: Blue Star Cafe & Ice Cream Treats. My mission, which I have chosen to accept: order the Greek Combo Plate!

Blue Star Cafe is a cozy little spot featuring indoor and outdoor dining, all-day breakfast, ice cream, and a pleasant interior with classy old-fashioned movie and theater posters that decorate the walls. Service was friendly and on the ball. Many of the customers there were clearly regulars, judging by their friendly rapport with the wait staff. But back to the mission!

The Greek Combo Plate is a veritable tour of Greece. It does not feature meat, but it has just about everything else. My server pinpointed the spanakopita as her favorite, and after trying it I couldn’t argue with her choice. This spinach pie had perfectly flaky, pastry-style crust and contained a tasty blend of spinach and feta cheese. Yum!

Continuing the tour, we find a generous pile of hummus and tomatoes served on a giant lettuce leaf, pita bread wedges, tzatziki sauce for dipping, and three dolmades (pickled grape leaves wrapped around a spicy rice mix).

I ran out of pita bread wedges for the hummus and tomatoes, so improvising, I wrapped the giant decorative lettuce leaf

around the remaining hummus, creating a messy but delicious mega-size lettuce/ hummus/tomato wrap. Nothing on this plate goes to waste!

This meal also came with a Greek side salad chock full of crisp lettuce, chickpeas, beets, red onions, tomatoes and olives, was topped with feta cheese crumbles and accompanied by the requisite Greek dressing.

This was my first visit, and it certainly won’t be my last.

Blue Star Cafe & Ice Cream Treats

141 Blue Star Hwy in Douglas

Summer hours are 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Fall, winter, and spring hours are 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Story and photo by Jason Roth

You Gotta Try the Greek Combo Plate at Blue

PHOTO: COURTESY BLUE STAR CAFE

Resale Trail

FAB FINDS

Grand Haven & Spring Lake

Buffalo Bob’s Promotional Content

Lake

121 Washington Ave., Grand Haven Celebrate Fall with Nature Inspired Prints at Marushka. Ladies Dropped Sweatshirts $39

Marushka

304 W. Savidge St., Spring Lake Coffee Table Books $36-$59

213 Washington Ave., Grand Haven Dried Blueberries, Chocolates, Biscotti, Tea and Coffee $5-$19.95

Windermere House Blueberry Haven

41 Washington St., Ste. 277, Grand Haven Reclaimed Wood and Resin Earrings & $22-$28

SilverFire Gallery & Gifts

104 Washington Ave., Grand Haven Candy Shop Hoodie $39

41 Washington Ave., Ste. 135, Haven Trucker Ball Caps $26

Barefoot Dave’s That Hat

128 Washington Ave., Grand Haven Black Tank $54, Brown Ayla $54, Necklace $64, Classic Cropped Jacket $128

Lee & Birch

FAB FINDS

Holland & Zeeland

E. 8th St., Holland New Flavors! Elderflower White Vinegar $16.95-$36.95, Peperoncino Garlic Crush Olive Oil $21.95-$44.95

Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars

30 W. 8th St., Holland Cavallini Co. Vintage Mugs $15.99

Fris Supply Shop

4585 60th St., Holland Green Hand Painted $250

Nob Hill Again

8 W. 8th St., Holland Thread & Supply Flannel $58

Glik’s Men’s Shop

HOM by Benchmark

15 W. 8th St., Holland

Limited Edition Candle

Aged Bourbon, Maple, and Vanilla Bean

Starting at $50

11595 E. Lakewood Blvd., Holland

Custom Fused Glass Creations Bill Hendrick. Big Red $125, Shimmering $95

Borr’s Shoes and Accessories

51 E. 8th St., Holland

Men’s and Women’s ON Cloud 5 Shoes $140

Holland Bowl Mill

120 James St., Holland

Serving $165-$220

Huisman Flowers

FAB FINDS

Douglas & Saugatuck

3480 Blue Star Hwy., Saugatuck Be a French Patisserie Chef! Classic French Tart Baking Kit $50

Lulu Cadieux

421 Water St., Saugatuck Picaza Wide Leg Pant $72

119 St., Saugatuck Sam Edelman Velvet Mary Jane Flats and Ballet Flats $130

Lucia’s World Emporium

For the Love of Shoes

10 W. St., Douglas Soft-Baked “Gotcha Day Paw-ty” and “Birthday Bash” Treats $10.99

Lakeshore Pet Boutique

303 St., Panel $140

The Owl House Tree of Life Stained Glass

161 Blue Star Hwy., Douglas Face Coffee Mugs $26, Coffee Dust Gift $38

Upscale Mercantile

33 Center St., Douglas Ronna Alexander Encaustic Paintings $95 Each

308 St., Chocolate Fudge Sauce and Salted Maple Caramel Set $30.90

Button Art Gallery American Spoon American

Calendar of Events

FARMERS MARKETS

Muskegon

Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays 8 a.m.–2 p.m. through Nov. 25. 242 W. Western Ave. muskegonfarmersmarket.com

Spring Lake

Thursdays 9 a.m.-2 p.m. through mid-October.

Tanglefoot Park Pavilion, 312 W. Exchange St. muskegonfarmersmarket.com

Grand Haven

Wednesdays & Saturdays 9 a.m.-2 p.m. through Oct. 28. Chinook Pier, 301 N. Harbor Dr. facebook.com/grandhavenfarmersmarket

Holland

Wednesdays & Saturdays 8 a.m.-2 p.m. through November. Holland Civic Center, 150 W. 8th St. hollandfarmersmarket.com

Calendar of Events

ONGOING

Through December 16

Holland: A New Art for a New China, Kruizenga Art Museum, 271 Columbia Ave. This exhibition at Hope College’s art museum features 49 art prints created between the late 1930s and the present that reflect the broader history of China, and of Chinese printmaking over those decades. hope.edu/arts/kam

Through January 14, 2024

Muskegon: Tiffany Lamps: The Richard H. Dreihaus Collection, Muskegon Museum of Art, 296 W. Webster Ave. Fifteen lamps and a stained-glass window highlight the beauty and elegance of Tiffany Studio design. muskegonartmuseum.org

Through February 25, 2024

Muskegon: Oddities & Delights from the Permanent Collection, Muskegon Museum of Art, 296 W. Webster Ave. Just a fraction of a museum’s collection is routinely on display. Here’s an opportunity to see the MMA’s bronze of a two-headed deer, a chest freezer transformed into a cow, and other offbeat objects. muskegonartmuseum.org

SEPTEMBER

September 28-November 8

Muskegon: Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition, Muskegon Museum of Art, 296 W. Webster Ave. A competitive annual showcase of the work of Michigan artists, including various media. Opening reception Sept. 28, 5 p.m. muskegonartmuseum.org

September 28

Holland: “Not Biologically Dutch,” with comedian Tracy DeGraaf, 6:30 p.m., Park Theatre, 248 S. River Ave. DeGraaf riffs on stages of a woman’s life from having kids to growing a beard, and cultural differences between her heritage and her Dutch husband’s. 18+ Younger people can attend with adult supervision. parktheatreholland.org

September 29

Muskegon: Aretha, A Tribute, 7:30 p.m., Frauenthal Center, 296 W. Webster Ave. Guest vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Darryl Williams join the West Michigan Symphony for this tribute to the late Queen of Soul. frauenthal.org

Calendar of Events

September 29

Holland: Outdoor choir concert, 5 p.m., in the Pine Grove at the center of the Hope College campus (south of 10th St., between College and Columbia Aves.). A free performance by the college’s Chapel Choir. Rain location: Dimnent Memorial Chapel. hope.edu/ academics/music/events.html

September 30

Holland: International Festival, 2-7 p.m., Holland Civic Center, 150 W. 8th St. Through food, music, art and shopping, celebrate the variety of cultures living, working and playing in West Michigan. internationalfestivalholland.com

October 6 (and select dates through October 21)

Muskegon: Little Shop of Horrors opening night, 7:30 p.m., Frauenthal Center, 425 W. Western Ave. This campy sci-fi musical comedy about a meek floral shop assistant and a singing carnivorous plant bent on world domination has remained a hit since its 1982 debut and is one of the longest-running off-Broadway shows. Performances continue Oct. 7, 12-14 and 19-21 at 7:30 p.m., plus 3 p.m. matinees on Oct. 8 and 15. muskegoncivictheatre.org/en-us

October 6

Muskegon: The Magic of Motown, 7:30 p.m., Frauenthal Center, 425 W. Western Ave. A cast of 15 vocalists backed by a 6-piece band capture the sound, choreography and costumes of the Temptations, the Jackson Five, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye and others. frauenthal.org

October 6

Muskegon: After Dark Tour of the Hackley and Hume Historic Site, 9-10 p.m., 484 W. Webster Ave. 2023’s last monthly nighttime tour of two lumber barons’ grand mansions. lakeshoremuseum.org

October 6

September 30

Fennville: Lager Fest, noon till evening, Waypost Brewing, 1630 Blue Star Highway. Fall festivities in the beer garden, including barrel roll races, stein holding contests, and a four-band lineup of live music from 2-7 p.m. waypostbeer.com

September 30

Holland: “The Planets,” 7:30 p.m., Jack Miller Center for Musical Arts, 221 Columbia Ave. The Holland Symphony and pianist Alon Goldstein perform Holst’s orchestral suite and Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto. Hollandsymphony.org

OCTOBER

October 1

Douglas: Saugatuck-Douglas Speedo Run, 11 a.m. start time at Beery Field, Center St. The 1-mile fun run proceeds to the Dune Resort, 333 Blue Star Highway. Must be 21+ to register for race and attend after-party at the Dunes. saugatuck.com

October 5 (and select dates through October 21)

Holland: Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, 7:30 p.m., Holland Community Theater, 50 W. 9th St. A large ensemble of local actors anchors this production of Brooks’ and Thomas Meehan’s stage musical adaptation of Brooks’ hilarious (and racy) 1974 movie. Performances continue Oct 6-7, 13-14 and 19-21 at 7:30 p.m., plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Oct. 15. TheHollandCommunityTheatre.org

October 5

Holland: First Voice Generation, 6:30 p.m., Knickerbocker Theatre, 86 E. 8th St. To mark Hispanic History Month, a screening of Holland-based filmmaker Cynthia Martinez’s documentary. During a year of the global pandemic, she followed three Latino high school students dreaming of being the first in their families to attend college. A Q & A with Martinez will follow the film. hopecollege.csstix.com

Laketown Township: Night Hike, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Huyser Farm Park, 64th St. at 142nd Ave. A hike through hardwood-pine forest and other sections of a Laketown park that used to be a U-pick blueberry farm and orchard planted with tens of thousands of pines to slow soil erosion. Learn how nocturnal animals use their senses. Free, but requires preregistration; find the link via the calendar at outdoordiscovery.org.

October 6

Holland: Fire Truck Parade, 7 p.m., on 8th St. from Columbia Ave. to the Civic Center. More than 50 fire trucks, and afterward, the chance for enthusiasts of all ages to see them up close at Civic Center Place. downtownholland.com

October 6-7

Zeeland: Pumpkinfest, downtown (and around town). This family-oriented festival will include horsedrawn hayrides, pumpkin decorating, a street fair and a parade. zeelandfestivals.com

October 6-8

Holland: Fall Fest, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., downtown. Pumpkins take center stage, with professional carvers’ work displayed on 8th St. and opportunities for kids to paint pumpkins, plus street performers. Windmill Island Gardens will host an artisan vendor market. holland.org

October 7

West Olive: Native Plant Sale, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Hemlock Crossing Nature Center, 8115 W. Olive Rd. The Ottawa County Conservation District’s twice-a-year sale offers Michigan-grown native flowering plants, garden kits and grasses. ottawacd.org/native-plant-sales

October 7

Holland: Kids Food Basket Fall Festival, 1-4 p.m., Ridge Point Church, 340 104th Ave., Holland. For kids and their families, treats, lawn games, activity stations and opportunities to volunteer. Free. holland.org

Lager Fest Fennville.

Calendar of Events

October 7

Grand Haven: Encounter the Arts, 2-5 p.m., Central Park Place, 421 Columbus Ave. Free drop-in workshops and performances, with local artists leading classes and demonstrations for people of all ages. centralparkplacegh.org

October 7

Grand Haven: Manhattan Short Film Festival, 6 p.m., Central Park Place, 421 Columbus Ave. This one-night screening of the finalists in a 26-year-running global festival offers film lovers the chance to vote for their favorites. Between Sept. 28 and Oct. 8, the short films will be presented in 500 cities on six continents. The Grand Haven screenings cap Central Park Place’s Encounter the Arts event (see above). A cocktail reception precedes the films at 5 p.m. centralparkplacegh.org

performances continue Oct. 13, 21 and 21, plus a 2:30 p.m. matinee Oct. 22. centralparkplayers.org

October 13 (and select dates through October 22) Holland: Alabaster opening night, 7:30 p.m., DeWitt Student and Cultural Center, 141 E. 12th St. In this Hope College production of Audrey Defaly’s dark comedy, a photographer and a young survivor of a catastrophic tornado reconcile the pain of loss and recovery. Evening performances continue Oct. 14, 19, 20, and 21; matinees at 2 p.m. Oct. 15, 21, and 22. hope.edu/academics/theatre/productions

October 14

Muskegon: Super Saturday, Muskegon Museum of Art, 296 W. Webster Ave. Free general admission to galleries, and free 11 a.m.-2 p.m yarn sewing activity. muskegonartmuseum.org

October 14

Grand Haven: Art at the Yard, 5-8 p.m., D. Baker & Son Lumber, 720 Pennoyer Ave. Visual art by more than 30 artists, live music, a food truck and a cash bar. Donations at the door and 10% of artists’ sales will benefit the Grand Haven Schools Foundation. visitgrandhaven.com

October 14

October 7 (and select dates through October 28)

Saugatuck Township: Fall Art on the Meadow Workshops, Ox-Bow School of Art, 3435 Rupprecht Way. A papermaking workshop from 2-6 p.m. on Oct. 7 is the first of five in October, some brief and others over multiple days. Some include a meal. Other workshops will focus on flower arranging and still life oil painting, broom making, natural dyes and ceramics. ox-bow.org

October 7-8

Fennville: Blue Coast Artists Annual Studio Tour, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Watch as nine artists at various locations create pottery, wooden bowls, lapidary and paintings. Each site features demonstrations, original artwork and refreshments. bluecoastartists.com

October 12-15

Fennville: Goose Festival downtown and around town. Visual art, live music under a tent, a car show, carnival, 5K for adults and a shorter run for their goslings, plus lots of festival trimmings. See event website for schedule. fennvillegoosefestival.com

October 13-14

Holland: Elton Rohn, Park Theatre, 248 S. River Ave. If you meant to catch this Elton John tribute band at a recent Tulip Time Festival but the show was sold out, here’s another opportunity. All the music is performed live in this high energy, family friendly show. parktheatreholland.org

October 13 (and select dates through October 22)

Grand Haven: Wait Until Dark opening night, 7:30 p.m., Central Park Place, 421 Columbus Ave. Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of the 1966 Broadway hit thriller moves the action to Greenwich Village, and the blind protagonist faces three intruders in her apartment. A clever, gripping play with a terrifying climax. Evening

Grand Haven: Chow Down Centertown, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., 7 N. 7th St. A dozen or more food trucks, six bands, and more than 100 local crafters and makers will turn 7th St. into a street party and shopping destination. The market will close at 5 p.m.; food trucks open till 6. visitgrandhaven.com

October 14

Douglas: Oktoberfest, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Crack out the lederhosen if you’ve got ’em — others will provide the Alpenhorns. An 11:30 a.m. parade from Blue Star Highway down Douglas’s main street precedes the ceremonial tapping of the keg; more things develop a la beer as the day progresses, along with German band music and polka dancing. saugatuck.com

October 20, 2023-January 26, 2024

Saugatuck: Art exhibitions: Jane Kramer | Foreshadowing, and Michael Belmore | Ningaaseg, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver St. Foreshadowing features Kramer’s photos of the shadows of threatened plant species, printed on paper made from invasive species. In Ningaaseg, in sculptural pieces in wood, stone and metal, Belmore explores the Great Lakes environment and what it means to be Anishinaabe. sc4a.org

October 21

Saugatuck Township: Ox-Bow Goes to Heck, Ox-Bow School for the Arts, 3424 Rupprecht Way. For children and their families, a gentle take on Halloween with games, crafts, fun and candy. (The companion event for adults “Ox-Bow Goes to Hell” will not take place in 2023.) Online ticket sales are underway. ox-bow.org.

October 26 (and select dates through November 1)

Allendale: Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really opening night, 7:30 p.m., Grand Valley State University’s Haas Center for Performing Arts, 10610 S.

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Fall Art on the Meadow Workshops Saugatuck Twp.

Calendar of Events

Campus Dr. Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s vampire classic is a horrifyingly funny call to take up arms against toxic masculinity. Evening performances continue Oct. 27, 28, 31 and Nov. 1, plus a 2 p.m. matinee Oct. 29. gvsu.edu/mtd/theatre-season-41.htm

October 26

Holland: Escher String Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Jack Miller Center for Musical Arts, 221 Columbia Ave. The ensemble drawn from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York City will perform works by Mendelssohn and Janacek, and a full performance of Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden.” hope.edu/arts/ great-performance-series

October 27-29

Laketown Township: Hauntings & History Nights, 7-11:55 p.m., Felt Estate, GPS address 6597 138th Ave., Holland. feltmansion.org

October 27

Saugatuck: A Bright Night, 6-10 p.m., Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver St. A free all-ages party: activities, visual art, a silent disco (with headphones provided), cash bar and food. Sc4a.org

October 28

Douglas: Halloween Parade for adults, Center St. Line-up starts at 9 p.m.; the Pumpkin King mascot

gets the parade rolling at 10 p.m. This event draws thousands of spectators. If you’re interested in being part of the action, dress up, arrive by 9 to get in the line-up, and strut your stuff — no preregistration needed. douglashalloween.com

October 28

Holland: Brahms 3rd concert, Jack Miller Center for Musical Arts, 221 Columbia Ave. Aaron Berofsky performs the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Holland Symphony Orchestra. The HSO will also perform Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 and “Alone Together” by Wineglass. hollandsymphony.org

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Brahms 3rd concert, Holland.

Calendar of Events

October 28

Holland: Dia de los Muertos, noon-3 p.m., Holland Armory, 16 W. 9th St. Latin Americans United for Progress teams up with the Holland Museum for this afternoon of music, dance and activities centered on the annual Mexican holiday to celebrate death and life. Free. hollandmuseum.org

October 28

Saugatuck: Boo’s Cruise on the Star of Saugatuck, 5 p.m., 716 Water St. Drink specials, a costume contest and a few tricks and treats. This 90-minute cruise is for 21 and older only. saugatuckboatcruises.com

of traditions, including rarely performed works and some of his own compositions. theblockwestmichigan.org

November 10

(and select dates through November 18)

Holland: The Addams Family opening night, 7:30 p.m., DeWitt Student and Cultural Center, 141 E. 12th St. This Broadway musical based on the 1960s TV show about a spooky family has Wednesday Addams in love with a boy from a conventional family. Evening performances continue Nov. 11 and 16-18 (with a 2 p.m. matinee Nov. 12). hope.edu/academics/music/ events.html

November 11

Muskegon: Super Saturday, Muskegon Museum of Art, 296 W. Webster Ave. Free general admission to galleries and, for children, free 11 a.m.-2 p.m. superhero mask activity. muskegonartmuseum.org

November 11

Grand Haven: Holiday Artisan Market, 9 a.m.3 p.m., Central Park Place, 421 Columbus Ave. Local artists, artisans and other vendors plus delicious treats. centralparkplacegh.org

November 12

October 28

Zeeland: Boo at the Barn, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Critter Barn, 2950 80th Ave. For children, a pre-Halloween event among farm animals, with decorations and refreshments. Kids are invited to come in costumes. Normal admission price applies. critterbarn.org

October 29

Saugatuck: Kids’ Halloween Cruise on the Star of Saugatuck, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. sailings from 716 Water St. Costumes are welcomed (and treats for kids will be available) on this final cruise of the Star’s 2023 season. saugatuckboatcruises.com

October 30

Holland: Big Read Lakeshore kick-off event, 7 p.m., Maas Auditorium, 264 Columbia Ave. Hope College professors of history and English will speak about why people should read the lakeshore-wide community reading program’s 2023 book for adults, Homegoing. The award-winning 2016 novel by Yaa Gyasi is about 18th-century Ghanaian sisters who are trafficked as slaves and their eight generations of American descendants. See website for details of the dozens of other events that will follow over several weeks. bigreadlakeshore.com

NOVEMBER

November 3

Muskegon: Scheherazade and More, 7:30 p.m., Frauenthal Center, 425 W. Webster Ave. Music that tells stories compose the program of this West Michigan Symphony concert, featuring pieces by Rimsky-Korsakov, Jennifer Highton and Kinan Azmeh. westmichigansymphony.org

November 4

Muskegon: clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and pianist Jean Schneider, 7:30 p.m., The Block, 360 W. Western Ave., 2nd floor. Azmeh, a clarinetist and composer, will showcase music inspired by a multitude

Grand Haven: Live with Friends autumn concert by Boardwalk Brass of Grand Haven, 3 p.m., Central Park Place, 421 Columbus Ave. The ensemble has been together since 2015, performing a variety of traditional and contemporary brass band music with a flair for entertaining and engaging audiences. Friends of the band will join them on stage. centralparkplacegh.org

November 13

Holland: Big Read author talk, 7 p.m., Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, 221 Columbia Ave. Yaa Gyasi, the author of this year’s Big Read Lakeshore book, Homegoing, will reflect on personal experiences that inspired her to write the novel and discuss the complexities and intersections of African immigrant and African American identities in the U.S. today. bigreadlakeshore.com

November 16

Holland: Brad Mehldau Trio, 7:30 p.m., Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, 221 Columbia Ave. Grammy-winning jazz pianist Mehldau performs with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard. hopecollege.csstix.com

November 17

(and select dates through December 3)

Muskegon: Calendar Girls opening night, 7:30 p.m., Frauenthal Center, 425 W. Webster Ave. When some middle-aged British women pose naked for a fundraising calendar, the world notices. It’s a true story, first told in an award-winning 2003 film comedy and now in this stage production by one of the film’s screenwriters. Performances continue Nov. 18, Nov. 24-25 and Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. plus 3 p.m. matinees Nov. 19, Nov. 26 and Dec. 3. muskegoncivictheatre.org/en-us

November 17

Allendale: Rent opening night, 7:30 p.m., Grand Valley State University’s Haas Center for Performing Arts, 10610 S. Campus Dr. Grand Valley Opera Theatre

Boo at the Barn, Zeeland.

Calendar of Events

performs the hit Broadway rock musical that debuted in the 1990s. Evening performances continue Nov. 18 and Dec. 1 and 2, with 2 p.m. matinees Nov. 19 and Dec. 3. gvsu.edu/mtd/theatre-season-41.htm

November 17-18

Holland: Merchants and Makers Holiday Shoppe, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Holland Civic Center, 150 W. 8th St. More than 100 local makers are expected for this holiday shopping showcase. $3 at the door (kids free); donate non-perishable food at the door and the entry fee is discounted. merchantsandmakers.com

November 18

Saugatuck: Michael Cleveland and Flamethrower, 7 p.m., Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver St. Bluegrass fiddler Cleveland and his band perform at the SC4A for the first time. In 2022 Cleveland’s album Tall Fiddler won the Grammy for best bluegrass album, and in the same year he received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. government’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. sc4a.org

November 18 (and Fridays and Saturdays through mid-December)

Holland: Kerstmarkt opening day, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., 8th St. Marketplace, 150 W. 8th. St. A European-style

holiday market with booths offering food, artisan-made goods, and other holiday items. The market continues Nov. 24-25, Dec. 1-2, Dec. 8-9, and Dec. 15-16; times vary. holland.org/kerstmarkt

November 23

Zeeland: Turkey Trot 8K, 8 a.m. race starts at Frank’s Restaurant, 134 E. Main St. The route loops through residential neighborhoods at both ends of downtown. Last year, runners and walkers ages 6 to 78 participated. Proceeds will benefit Harbor Humane Society. zeelandturkeytrot.com

November 24 (and select dates through December 9)

Holland: The Rented Christmas opening night, 7 p.m., Holland Community Theatre, 50 W. 9th St. A warm holiday play about a man who hasn’t enjoyed a “real” Christmas in years, and decides to rent one — complete with a wife and children. Evening performances continue Nov. 25 and 30, Dec. 1-2 and 7-8, plus 2 p.m. matinees Nov. 26, Dec. 3 and Dec. 9. thehollandcommunitytheatre.org

November 24

Douglas: Dashing through Glenn 5K Holiday Fun Run, 10 a.m. start time in Glenn (just south of Douglas). The route north ends at Waypost Brewing, 1630 Blue

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Calendar of Events

Star Highway, where breakfast and pints will be served (covered by the race registration fee). Holiday attire is encouraged. Proceeds will help maintain Glenn Square. waypostbeer.com/events/2023/glenndash

November 25

(and select dates through December 28)

Muskegon: Holiday tours of the Hackley and Hume Houses, 3-7 p.m., 484 W. Webster Ave. Community groups deck individual rooms in these grand mansions with seasonal decorations — as you tour the houses, vote for which group’s efforts are your favorite. Trees and wreaths will be sold in the courtyard. Additional tour dates (3-7 p.m.) are Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23, 27 and 28. lakeshoremuseum.org

December 2

Muskegon: A Jazzy Christmas, 7:30 pm., The Block, 360 W. Western Ave. Chicago-based piano/vocal duo Lelm and Langford perform holiday standards. theblockwestmichigan.org

December 2

Holland: A Pioneer Christmas, 10-11:30 a.m., DeGraaf Nature Center, 4214 56th St. In a cabin decorated for the season, children will experience how pioneers prepared for winter holidays, including by hand-dipping candles and making a practical pioneer craft. Suggested age range 4 and up. Registration is required for this ticketed event; find the link via the calendar at outdoordiscovery.org.

December 2

Grand Haven: Jingle Bell Parade, 6-7 p.m., downtown. The parade starts at the Ottawa County offices (Washington Ave. and S. 5th St.) and proceeds west/north on Harbor Dr. to Washington Ave., and then to Central Park for the lighting of the community Christmas tree. visitgrandhaven.com

December 2

November 25-January 1, 2024

Spring Lake: Sparkle, downtown. Spring Lake gets its holiday spirit on with more than 400,000 colored lights on trees and businesses day and night, meet and greets with Santa, and other holiday fun. This year, indoor events will center on Epicurean Village (110 W. Savidge St.). lilleycares.com/sparkle

November 27

Zeeland: Magical Christmas Parade, 6:30 p.m., downtown. A 6:15 p.m. tree lighting gets the event rolling. zeelandfestivals.com

November 28

Holland: Parade of Lights, 6:30 p.m. downtown. The parade moves west on 8th St. from Columbia Ave. to the Holland Civic Center and features more than 75 floats, antique cars, bands, and more — all decked out in holiday lights. downtownholland.com

DECEMBER

December 1

Holland: Sinterklaas Eve, 6 p.m. start time, Holland Civic Center, 150 W. 8th St. Lanterns will be distributed starting at 6 p.m., which children can carry in a 6:20 p.m procession around the Civic Center led by Sinterklaas (the Dutch Santa). Photo ops with Sinterklaas follow, 8 p.m., in the Kerstmarkt warming hut. downtownholland.com

December 1-2 (and Fridays and Saturdays through December 16)

Holland: Magic at the Mill, Windmill Island Gardens, 1 Lincoln Ave. Buy timed tickets online for 5-7 p.m. or 7-9 p.m. The windmill, trees, and recreated village lane in Holland’s Dutch-themed city park will be decked out for the holidays, including with a field of LED tulip blossoms that change with synchronized music. Shops will be open, and snacks and beverages will be available. holland.org/magic-mill

Saugatuck: Holiday Market, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver St. Michiganmade wares including clothing, home décor and artisan made housewares — plus music, snacks and craft cocktails.

December 2-3

Holland: Christmas Vespers, Saturday at 4:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m., Dimnent Memorial Chapel, 277 College Ave. More than 200 vocalists and instrumentalists present Christmas carols and anthems in Hope College’s historic chapel. Ticket sales begin in October or November. hope.edu/academics/music/ events.html

December 8 (and select dates through December 16)

Grand Haven: Parfumerie opening night, 7:30 p.m., Central Park Place, 421 Columbus Ave. This gentle comedy set in in 1930s Budapest at Christmas time traces the romantic arc of an employee of a perfume emporium — with echoes of the classic film The Shop Around the Corner. Evening performances continue Dec. 9, 15 and 15, plus a 2:30 p.m. matinee Dec. 16. centralparkplayers.org

December 9

Holland: Celebrate the Season concert, 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Dimnent Memorial Chapel, 277 College Ave. The Holland Symphony Orchestra is joined by vocalists Steve and Allison Martin for a concert of seasonal classics and carols. hollandsymphony.org

December 9

Muskegon: Clickity Clack Ho Ho, 10 a.m. with second performance at 11:30 a.m., The Block, 360 W. Western Ave., 2nd floor. A 45-minute concert designed for children ages 3 to 8, based on the children’s book Click Clack Ho Ho The West Michigan Symphony’s brass quintet performs (as reindeer, and we’re not sure what to make of that). theblockwestmichigan.org

Sparkle, Spring Lake.

Calendar of Events

December 9

Muskegon: Super Saturday, Muskegon Museum of Art, 296 W. Webster Ave. Free general admission to galleries, and a DIY ornament activity 11 a.m.-2 p.m. muskegonartmuseum.org

December 10

Spring Lake: Very Merry Market, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Trillium Events, 17246 VanWagoner Rd. Browse for gifts offered by 55 makers and enjoy life music. $3 at door; kids are free. visitgrandhaven.com

December 16

Zeeland: Winter Arts and Crafts Market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Holland Fish and Game Club, 10840 Chicago Dr. More than 65 artists and crafters from all over West Michigan. holland.org

December 19

(and select dates through December 23)

Holland: It’s a Wonderful Life opening night, Knickerbocker Theatre, 86 E. 8th St. A handful of actors will portray dozens of characters in Joe Landry’s adaptation of the classic 1946 film, reset as a radio play being performed in a live broadcast in the 1940s. Evening performances continue Dec. 20, 22 and 22, plus a 1:30 p.m. matinee Dec. 23. hopecollege.csstix.com

December 30

Holland: Christmas Bird Count, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Help Outdoor Discovery Center Network staff tally Holland area birds in this local corner of the nation’s (and perhaps the planet’s) longest running citizen science project. To preregister for the Holland area count, find contact info for the event via the calendar at outdoordiscovery.org. Rather count in Muskegon? — see audubon.org and muskegoncountynatureclub.blogspot.com.

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Christmas Bird Count, Holland.