Encore August 2026

2026-27 Arts Season Guide

August 2026

The House of Mosaic Distillery

The Flavors of Local Coffee Roasters

Meet Kate Yancho

Southwest Michigan’s Magazine

Larry Bell Wants to Share Something with You

ENCORE EDITOR'S NOTE

From the Editor A

ugust can be one of those months you dread: summer coming to an end, shorter days, kids going back to school and all the preparation for it, knowing that the "stay inside" months are coming soon ... sigh. So, for our August issue, we have something that will give you things to look forward to: The 2026-27 Arts Season Guide.

This special section is for performing arts organizations to spotlight their upcoming seasons. The guide is a testament to our area's robust arts community, which is forging on despite dwindling funding on the state and federal levels, as you'll read in Katie Houston's story about the state of the arts scene in our area.

It's also fitting, then, that our cover story this month talks about Larry Bell's latest venture and his impact on the arts in Kalamazoo. Thanks to our partnership with NowKalamazoo, we share a story that James Sanford reported for that news organization earlier this summer about Bell's plans to convert the former Food Dance building into a gallery and performance space, specifically for jazz artists. The gallery will feature rotating exhibits curated from his extensive collections. It is one gallery opening that I am definitely looking forward to.

If you've ever wondered why our community is so arts-oriented, our Back Story feature might give you a clue. We profile Kate Yancho, the new leader of KRESA's Education for the Arts program, which brings arts education to thousands of students in Kalamazoo County each year.

The experiences and exposure our kids get through this program may be key to fostering a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

We also take a look at artistic endeavors of the culinary kind, through a story about the family that took a former agricultural equipment dealership in Plainwell and created The House of Mosaic Distillery, a new-ish restaurant and distillery. It's an endeavor that exudes creativity, from the use of the expansive space and handcrafted furniture to its spirits and menu.

Finally, if you haven't ever considered roasting coffee as an art form, writer Leo Kaplan may change your mind with his Five Faves feature on local coffee roasters. When it comes to creating unique coffee flavors, there's more to it than meets the mouth.

Despite knowing shorter days and back-to-school preparation are just around the corner, we wish you joy and fun on these dwindling days of summer.

www.encorekalamazoo.com | 3

CONTRIBUTORS ENCORE

Jordan Bradley

For this edition of Encore, Jordan spoke with Kate Yancho of KRESA’s Education for the Arts program. “During our conversation, Kate pointed out that a lot of Kalamazoo students don’t even know when EFA artists are part of their curriculum,” Jordan says, “and, to be honest, I learned a lot about what EFA does while speaking with Kate. What an incredible community program!” Jordan is an internturned-freelance-contributor at Encore. When she’s not writing, she can be found at a yoga studio or walking her dog.

Katie Halloran

To research this story, Katie visited The House of Mosaic Distillery during its off hours. Mark and Lisa Mészáros stopped what they were doing to graciously give her a tour, displaying every detail of their new family-owned and family-run business. "I am excited for readers to learn about this artistic, passionate and hardworking family through this story," Katie says. "The creativity that exudes everything about The House of Mosaic Distillery is truly inspiring." Katie is a Hopkins-based freelance writer and public relations professional.

Katie Houston

James Sanford

James, who wrote this month's cover story, was a “teen reporter” for The Grand Rapids Press around the same time Larry Bell started brewing beer, and he graduated from Western Michigan University right around the time Bell's Brewery opened. "Like just about everyone in Kalamazoo, I had heard so much about Larry Bell over the past 40 years — and I had bought a lot of his beer. But somehow, we never officially met until this spring," James says. "I come from a family of collectors; I have been collecting movie posters, records and Big Little Books from the 1930s and 1940s since I was old enough to get an allowance. But the assortment of items that Larry has put together absolutely knocked me out, and the stories behind the pieces were equally fascinating."

An arts writer for 12 years at the Kalmazoo Gazette, James spent the last 11 years as a creative manager/programmer for Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and just celebrated his first anniversary with NowKalamazoo.

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Katie wrote the feature for this issue's Arts Season Guide which includes information about new and persevering small theaters and venues in Kalamazoo. "I didn’t know that two new theater companies had put down a stake in town, and that’s pretty exciting given how challenging the arts funding landscape is these days,” she notes. Katie has performed around town herself with Queer Theatre Kalamazoo, the Kalamazoo Civic, and at Farmer’s Alley in a storytelling show. She is a writer and communications consultant specializing in nonprofit marketing.

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Proud Member of

14 Larry Bell's Latest Venture

He has something to share with you — a lot of somethings, actually — in his new library and gallery

SPECIAL SECTION 21 2026-27 Arts Season Guide A must-keep resource of this season's arts performances and highlights, sponsored by Arborist Services

22 The Shows Go On Small local theaters are thriving despite difficult funding environment

26 Highlights to Look for This Season

DEPARTMENTS 3 From the Editor 4 Contributors 6 First Things A round–up of happenings in SW Michigan

8 Five Faves Coffee Roasters — Local roasters brew up distinct flavors

10 Savor Creating a Mosaic — Plainwell distillery & restaurant blends community, family, food and art

38 Back Story Meet Kate Yancho — She's bringing immersive arts education to Kalamazoo County students

CONTENTS

FEATURE

August 2026

TheArts

31 Music 31 Comedy 32 Visual Arts 32 Film 33 Theater

34 Events of Note

On the Cover: Larry Bell amidst some items from his extensive and eclectic collections. Photo by Brian K. Powers.

www.encorekalamazoo.com | 5

FIRST THINGS ENCORE

First Things

Something Timeless

Kellogg Manor offers free tours, concert You can take a stroll through lush surroundings when the

Kellogg Manor House offers free tours and a lakeside concert Aug. 16.

The century-old Tudor-style house was built by cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg and his wife, Carrie Staines Kellogg, on the highest point overlooking Gull Lake. Its grounds include a carriage house with chauffeur’s residence, greenhouse, caretaker’s cottage, boathouse, authentic Dutch windmill and lakeside pagoda.

Docent-led tours will be offered from noon to 3 p.m., followed by an outdoor concert by the Cereal City Concert Band of Battle Creek from 3 to 5 p.m. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/Kellmanortour.

Something Alt-Country

Old 97's to play Bell's The Old 97's, a pioneering

band of the alt-country music movement of the mid-1990s, will perform at 8 p.m. Aug. 28

at Bell's Eccentric Cafe.

The Old 97's have released 13 studio albums, including 2024's American Primitive.

The band Buga, from Brooklyn, New York, will open the show.

Tickets are $30.85 and available at the Bell's General Store or bellsbeer.com.

6 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

Something DIY

Create something new with garden bounty Have a bumper crop of herbs and veggies from your backyard

garden? Culinary- and garden-focused events this month will provide ideas on how to use that bounty.

You can learn about the processes and materials needed to make fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickles and even hot sauce at an event titled Ferment All of It! It's set for 6 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Comstock Township Library. Registration is required at comstocklibrary.org.

Creating herb-infused food enhancers will be the focus of two workshops. On Aug. 11, Haley Terpstra, owner of Herbal Meadows Botanicals, will show participants how to turn extra herbs into oils and salts during an Herbal Culinary Salt & Oil Blending Workshop.

It starts at 6 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Public Library's Powell Branch.

Registration is required at kpl.gov.

Lea Sevigny of Joyful Wildcrafting will discuss local summer herbs and how to preserve their benefits in an Herbal Oil Workshop at 1 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. The cost is $16 for KNC members and $20 for others. To register, visit naturecenter.org.

Registered dietitian Gretchen Kauth will discuss the merits of and tips for making nutritious vegetarian meals during the Aug. 19 session of the Eating the Healthy Way series at the Portage District Library.

It begins at 6 p.m. Registration is required at portagelibrary.info.

Finally, learn everything about herbs, from foraging to preparing them for eating, drinking or medicine making, at the Michigan Herbal Conference Aug. 21–23 at Tillers International, in Scotts. The weekend-long event will feature hands-on activities, lectures and walks to learn about the science behind herbalism. The cost to attend is $225. To register, visit tillersinternational.org.

ENCORE FIRST THINGS

Something Fun

Tour Binder Park Zoo by bike It'll be a safari by bike when Tour de Zoo happens at Binder

Park Zoo Aug. 14.

The event runs from 6–9 p.m., during which participants can ride their bikes through the grounds of the zoo, see animals and watch the sunset over the zoo's African Savanna. An after-party will feature live music, food, beverages, games and giveaways.

Binder Park Zoo is located at 7400 Division Drive in Battle Creek. Tickets are $50 until Aug. 8 and $60 after. To register, visit binderparkzoo.org/tour-de-zoo.

Is that list of little projects around the house not so little anymore?

Something Aloft

Kalamazoo Balloon Fest returns The sky will be filled with color during the Kalamazoo Balloon

Fest Aug. 21–23 at Gull Meadow Farms, in Richland.

This annual event draws dozens of balloonists who take part in daily fly-ins and nightly balloon glows, in addition to giving flights for a fee. The event will also offer food for purchase, a car show and live entertainment.

The balloon festival is free, but parking is $10 per vehicle. There is an additional fee for family activities provided by Gull Meadow Farms. For more information, visit gullmeadowfarms.com.

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FIVE FAVES ENCORE

Five Faves

Local coffee roasters offer distinct flavors

BY LEO V. KAPLAN

Portage coffee roaster Ron Martin draws a familiar comparison

for Kalamazoo locals when describing the role of his flagship coffee blends: “It’s like moving people from Bud Light to Oberon.”

Martin is one of many local roasters focused on emphasizing the distinct flavor profile of unique coffee beans, an approach referred to as “third wave” or “specialty” coffee. His single-origin selections are distinguished from more-classic coffee roasts by their lighter roast profiles, distinct regional flavors and unconventional bean extraction processes.

Two years ago a bag of Martin’s flagship Peloton blend was my introduction to local specialty coffee. Since then, I’ve been brewing unique coffee from roasters in Kalamazoo and beyond. Not only has it meant supporting local businesses, but it has meant enjoying coffee that’s actually fresh — whole-bean coffee starts going stale in about a month and ground coffee much quicker — and learning to enjoy my morning brew for its craft rather than its utility.

Choosing favorites is a challenge, but here are five local coffee roasters I can’t get enough of:

Kalamazoo Coffee Co.

When I was a student

at Kalamazoo College, I first started drinking freshly ground, freshly roasted coffee. The oncampus cafe served beans roasted by Kalamazoo Coffee Co., marking the first time I drank coffee I liked enough to drink black.

It took only a year of buying large cups of the company's flagship Backpacker’s Blend, a straightforward medium-roast blend with distinct sweet notes, before I got a job at the cafe, where I was able to drink all the free Kalamazoo Coffee Co. coffee I wanted.

The company is more production-centric than the other roasters on this list, offering its coffee at dozens of grocery stores from Elkhart to Jenison and even in coffee pods.

While specialty coffee fans may disagree, I insist there will always be a place for a classic cup o’ joe, and this roaster makes just that.

This stuff has fueled more than a few pre-exam all-nighters and will always have a special place in my heart.

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Ron’s Beans

Ron Martin has been roasting coffee beans for about 15 years. He purchased his current spot at 830 W. Centre in Portage in 2020 and introduced a cafe, or “tasting room,” three years ago. His approach emphasizes light to medium roasts made with coffee that’s highly rated by the Specialty Coffee Association, meaning it is handpicked, with few imperfections.

Many of Ron’s beans are naturalprocess beans extracted from sundried coffee cherries in which the beans were allowed to ferment. That process imparts bright, fruity and acidic flavors, and these beans are more lightly roasted to emphasize the delicate and sweet flavors. Martin says his roasting process is centered on finding the “sweet spot” for every bean.

A favorite of mine is his Ethiopian single-origin coffee Benti Neka.

A medium roast, washed-process (not fermented) coffee, it has a balanced flavor — not too bitter, not too acidic — with sweet and floral notes. I like to brew this one in my French press.

Factory Coffee

I was admittedly trying to telegraph maturity when I first ordered an espresso at Factory Coffee, hoping my “refined palate” would downplay my youth while I grabbed coffee with people more than a decade older than I. I’d planned to grit my teeth through the bitter flavor but found that when a skilled barista brews fresh, wellroasted coffee beans as espresso, it tastes really good.

To keep up with demand as they've expanded, Factory Coffee has stopped roasting their coffee in-house, partnering with Schuil Coffee Co. in Grand Rapids, which is able to replicate Factory's roasting process. That makes them technically — at least for now — not a local roaster, but I kept them on this list because their varied selection is consistently great and because the option of ordering any of these unique coffees as a pour-over makes their four Kalamazoo-area cafes accessible starting points for locals dipping their toes into the world of specialty coffee.

My personal favorites are their natural-process Guji beans, a light roast from Ethiopia that is distinctly fruity and earthy, and the washed-process Burundi Turihamwe, a more floral roast.

ENCORE FIVE FAVES

Little Quiet Coffee

Lee Winkler fell in love with coffee in 2002 while working as a barista and has been in the industry in some form ever since. In 2019, he founded Little Quiet Coffee in Battle Creek, but relocated the company to Portage.

In the early days, customers ordered from Winkler via email, and he’d hand-deliver to their homes. He’s backed off from selling direct to consumers and now roasts for Fiddle Leaf Cafe, in Kalamazoo’s Edison neighborhood. Fiddle Leaf sells two of his roasts: The Solstice Blend, a mix of organic, washed-process Ethiopian and Guatemalan beans, is a batch-brew coffee, and the Equinox Blend, a Brazilian natural-process, is an espresso.

My favorite is the Solstice Blend. Its flavorful sweetness makes it a joy to drink black. Like Martin, Winkler roasts lighter.

“I roast in a lighter profile because I really want to highlight the growing region, the growers themselves and the quality of the coffee,” Winkler says.

About the Author Leo V. Kaplan is a Kalamazoo-based journalist, writer and occasional computer programmer. They came to Kalamazoo in 2020 to attend Kalamazoo College, where they completed a double major in history and computer science and edited the student newspaper, The Index. When they’re not working on a story, Kaplan can be found baking new recipes, enjoying local nature or taking in a Vine neighborhood DIY concert. Kaplan also writes for the Lansing alt-weekly City Pulse and the online hyperpop magazine Ringtone.

V Roastery

My most unexpected favorite local coffee is a bourbon-barrelaged dark roast from V Roastery, a small-batch roaster that sells at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market and online at vroastery.com. Nave Vlietstra ages raw coffee beans in an oak barrel previously used to age bourbon, imparting a flavor that complements but does not overwhelm the deep, roasty flavor of V's Welcome to the Dark Side dark roast. Brewing this roast as espresso made for the most delicious, decadent morning latte of my life.

Unfortunately, I’m not the only local to notice how well this flavor infusion works — when it’s available, the flavor sells out fast. Fortunately, Vlietstra’s other roasts are also fantastic. I love the organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Chelchele, a natural-process light roast with distinct floral notes that I enjoyed as an unconventional iced Americano while writing this.

Unlike some specialty roasters, Vlietstra is more than happy to roast dark. He is careful to roast the right beans to the right levels, though, which is why he roasts Ethiopian beans lightly to preserve their tea-like flavors but is comfortable dark-roasting earthier beans from Sumatra.

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SAVOR ENCORE

Creating a Mosaic

Plainwell distillery blends community, family, food and art

BY KATIE HALLORAN

There are not a lot of parents who

would create a business to accommodate their children's passions, but Mark and Lisa Mészáros, 57 and 58, did just that when they launched The House of Mosaic Distillery in downtown Plainwell.

With its shareable plates, fresh bread from Sarkozy Bakery and handcrafted spirits, the couple created “a place where all of my kids’ passions would have a home,” says Lisa.

10 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

Those fortunate kids are Ryan, 36, Rachel, 33, and Nick, 29.

Developing Mosaic’s shareable plates is eldest child Ryan, who studied culinary arts in Chicago. He quickly moved up ranks in The Windy City, working as a mixologist and then gradually as a food and beverage director for high-end restaurants. Rachel studied metal arts and designed jewelry for HJH Jewelry before pursuing her passion for baking. She

worked for grocer Earth Fare for several years and currently serves as a manager for Sarkozy Bakery. Finally, the Mészáros' third child, Nick, attended Michigan Technological University for a couple of years, bringing an engineering mindset to his passion for developing spirits. With his father Mark, Nick has garnered many international stilling certifications.

ENCORE SAVOR

Nestled in a quiet section of Bridge St., just south of Hicks Park and two doors from Plainwell's iconic Campbell’s Pharmacy, The House of Mosaic Distillery's name honors the art form of intentionally combining many separate parts to create an expressive form of artistry.

“Mark and I always wanted to build ‘something’ in hospitality, but we weren’t sure what until we were enjoying cocktails with friends at Green Door Distillery (in Kalamazoo). Then we realized, ‘This is it!’” recalls Lisa. The couple, who say they love hosting, thought, “What better opportunity than to host dozens of people every night at our own distillery?”

This casual night out in November 2017 turned into a serious business venture that has led the Mészároses down many paths as “this family of creatives dove in,” says Mark, who boasts decades of experience as a creative director, overseeing branding and packaging for international food and beverage brands.

“We knew we wanted to have the distillery here in Plainwell, our home of 23 years,” explains Lisa, an artist who met Mark while they were both students at Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio.

“The people here are special. They are so smart, down-to-earth, so generous and very entrepreneurial. That’s been very inspiring. There was no other place for us but here.”

The journey to opening The House of Mosaic Distillery was nonlinear. Crafting the business plan was easy, but they hit roadblocks in their search for the right property. Nothing seemed to fit. After a year or two of looking, the Mészáros family briefly entertained the idea of moving their potential business elsewhere.

Community comes through But the Plainwell community had other plans. Barb Bechtel, a friend of the Mészároses and owner of Barbed Wire Café in downtown Plainwell, suggested a site: The former A.H. Warnement farm equipment dealership at 119 W. Bridge St., around the corner from her café.

With 9,300 square feet, the space was sprawling and had “a spot for every one of my kids’ passions — a distillery, a bakery and a restaurant,” says Lisa. The Mészároses were intrigued by the former dealership’s possibilities.

Most architects, however, were not.

“Tear it down, start over,” was the common response from all but one, Blair Bates, a Plainwell architect who could envision the building’s potential. With Bates' help, the family forged on, working on the schematics for the massive building and property.

Then, there was financing. Fortunately, a $25,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Match on Main Program in July 2024 helped to “rehabilitate this blighted Opposite page: Owners Lisa Mészáros, left, holding a gin fizz, and Mark Mészáros, with a gin and tonic, stand in front of The House of Mosiac's outside bar. This page, top: A bottle of Mosaic's Dry Gin, made on site, is the base for its gin fizz. Bottom: the menu spotlights shareable plates, including the Prosciutto Board (bottom), bread from Sarkozy Bakery and handheld sandwiches with homemade potato chips. w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 11

property in our downtown,” according to the City of Plainwell’s social media channels.

Mosaic Distillery was one of only 31 small businesses in the state to be awarded a Match on Main grant that year.

The building was completed in phases as time and finances allowed. The first phase was the tasting room. “We opened up the back half of the building as the tasting room in fall 2025, which was not the original plan, which was to open the front part of the

building first,” says Mark. The plan change was necessitated by the building's structure and the utilities needed, such as water lines and fire suppression, for a distillery.

The next step was finalizing all the furnishings and finishings, including handpicking decor and building furniture.

“Pushing our perfection on this, we have done all the finishes, built out the back bars and the lighting ourselves,” says Mark.

With seating for 45 to 50, the tasting room is a cozy space lined by a refurbished church pew and hanging plants. A gleaming bar is flanked by beautiful glass mosaics.

An additional bar and tasting room with a small stage for live music opened in May 2026. There's outside seating on certain nights — the building's huge steel sliding doors can be opened to reveal the “Spirit Garden” that features a patio with fire pits and an edible garden “we will be using to grow herbs for our cocktails and food,” says Mark.

“We’ve been phasing this building out to see what the demand is and the community has been helping us with our marketing and our construction,” says Mark. “This has really been a community-wide effort.”

When Mark and Lisa say, “we really want to elevate everything we do,” they pretty much mean everything.

12 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

ENCORE GOOD WORKS

our pizza oven. Our skewers are popular, from chicken to shrimp, with many different vegetables. We serve Michigan beef and source our fish from an upstate trout farm and get our produce from Pebble Creek (in Caledonia). All are huge hits.”

The Mosaic’s menu features desserts like Basque cheesecake and strawberry tiramisu, as well as bespoke cocktails with throwback Hollywood names like So Green Was My Valley and From Russia with Love, a twist on the classic White Russian. Although the dream for an onsite bakery is not yet realized, Rachel collaborates with the distillery's chef

on the fresh baked goods from Sarkozy. The family is hoping to launch its own wine and beer lines over the next several months to better cater to a wider range of customer tastes.

For now, however, renovations on the space will continue and the Mészároses say what customers experience today will not necessarily be the Mosaic that they will experience tomorrow.

“Everything we do at Mosaic is about the sharing of ideas and learning from each other," says Mark.

Clockwise from top left: Nick Mészáros is the distiller behind The House of Mosaic's spirits; the outside patio features its own bar and fire pit; a seasonal fruit board with honey paired with the distillery's vodka; a spot for live music on the patio; mixologist Dexter (left) and Chef Bailey Glass are key to the venue's unique food and drink menus; and the artistic talents of the family show in the design of the labels for their spirit bottles.

Each component of The House of Mosaic collaborates to create the food and drink options from the gin and vodka stilled onsite to the baked goods brought in daily from Sarkozy Bakery and a full menu of seasonal, shareable plates. Each element taps into the Mészáros' thirst for perfection.

“We have high expectations with what we do and our spirits have gotten lots of praise,” says Mark.

“Our food, dessert and cocktail menus will change based on the season and we use a lot of traditional cooking methods, such as grilling and oven-roasting, and now we have www.encorekalamazoo.com | 13

BY JAMES SANFORD

This story originally appeared in an abridged version on the digital news site NowKalamazoo on July 10. In collaboration with NowKalamazoo, Encore is giving our readers a version with additional information.

Larry Bell has something he'd like to share with you.

A lot of somethings, actually.

Standing in the doorway of a cavernous warehouse space, Larry Bell stops and smiles.

“Did you ever see Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark?” he cracks, referring to the cavern in the opening sequence of that movie.

An even more apt reference would be the Cave of Wonders in Aladdin, since beyond the door of the warehouse is a jaw-dropping treasure trove of items from all over the world and almost every era.

The 67-year-old Bell — who began brewing beer at home as a Kalamazoo College student, opened Bell’s Brewery in 1985 and sold the company to the international beverage distributor Lion in 2021 — has been a lifelong collector of things, although he admits that much of what he now holds came to him during the past 10 years or so.

“I sold the company four and a half years ago,” says Bell, who began collecting beer cans at age 17. “Since then, I've had the opportunity to be a little bit more active in acquisition.”

While the Ark of the Covenant is nowhere to be found here, the multiple storage units Bell is wandering through contain ceramics, John James Audubon artwork, postcards, thousands of 78 rpm records, Polynesian prints, African art, a 1924 Model T, neon and porcelain signs, baseball memorabilia, furniture, railroad signage and record albums of speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. If you can imagine an item, it might well be somewhere in here.

But this is not Bell's private cache, sequestered for his eyes only. He plans to share it with the world.

“Just let me say this,” Bell says. “I am not here to be a competitor to the KIA (Kalamazoo Institute of Arts). I am here to help elevate Kalamazoo as an arts hub and cultural center.

"Can I tell you everything in depth about what I have? No. That'll be for researchers to do. I can get the stuff I've got the eye for: 14 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

‘OK, this is something good for us to have, and it will help tell the story.’ But I'm not a specialist on all that stuff. I'm a jack of all trades, master of none.”

As one might expect from a Kalamazoo College history major like Bell, some items in Bell's collections are historic. “We collect maps,” Bell told the audience at an event in March 2025. “Our oldest map was drawn in A.D. 150 and printed in 1463, a copy of which a guy named Columbus relied upon for finding the New World, so …”

Some pieces are high-end. “In Japanese woodblock prints, the most famous piece ever made is The Great Wave (Off Kanagawa),"

Bell says. "We own a Great Wave. The most famous poster in the art poster movement was the three-panel Moulin Rouge by Toulouse-Lautrec. There are only 12 of them in the world; we own one. I think we have 464 pieces by (Czech poster artist) Alphonse Mucha.”

At one point, Bell brings out a genuinely out-of-left-field find.

“Please don't take a photograph of this,” he requests, displaying a colorful and lively ceramic work with a clown motif by a renowned 20th-century artist Bell would rather not name.

Yes, some of the items in Bell’s collections are wildly eccentric. How many psychedelic Mother Goose jigsaw puzzles do you own?

Bell picks up a round cardboard container adorned with screamingly 1970 Day-Glo cartoon butterflies, snails and mushrooms, reading aloud the not-suitable-for-thenursery rhyme on the back: “Little Miss Muffet/Sat on a tuffet/Grooving the whole cosmic scene/When along came weird Tony/ With a big pepperoni/Which they smoked/ While turning pale green.”

“I do vintage puzzles,” Bell says, motioning to shelves full of jigsaw puzzle boxes whose subjects range from fine-art reproductions

Larry Bell, a lifelong collector, amid the many, many items he has in his collections.

to the iconic Farrah Fawcett poster from the 1970s. “Most of the boxes you see here are empty and have already been done, and the puzzle gets framed.”

Speaking of puzzles, what is all this? Where did it all come from? And where is it going?

‘We don’t use the m-word' If everything goes according to plan, sometime during the first quarter of 2029 the Larry J. Bell Library Foundation will open at the corner of East Michigan Avenue and North Pitcher Street, in a property that was previously home to Food Dance (which

closed in 2022). And that's where galleries will showcase some of the tens of thousands of items that Bell and his team have brought together.

Since putting 36 years as president of Bell’s Brewery behind him, Bell has focused on philanthropy and giving back to the community. Among his bestowals was an $8.8 million gift to the Gilmore Piano Festival to create the Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Awards (more on that later), $1 million to support the construction of a new building for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kalamazoo and $5.25 million to his alma mater, Kalamazoo College, as well as donations to the Wellspring dance company and the North Country Trail Association.

But his biggest gift — and potentially his most enduring — will be the foundation property and all of the uses he envisions for it. In addition to renovating the existing building, which was constructed in 1890 and restored in 2006, Bell intends to expand the building into the parking lot, to construct archives, galleries, a library, a courtyard, a carillon and gathering areas and a 200-seat performance venue.

“There's a need in town for a quality smaller venue with seating," says Bell. “For a not-for-profit, you've got to find some ways to do revenue. We won't operate a kitchen, but we'll set it up with a catering kitchen.

If somebody wants to get married in the auditorium and then have their guests have dinner ... or come look at all the stuff in the gallery space and make an event about it, you know, that's what people seem to like to do these days.”

According to an informational handout, Bell's foundation “seeks to inspire learning and creativity by offering for reference and display artifacts that reflect the interests of our founder.” But please don’t call it a museum.

“It’s not a museum,” Bell says pointedly.

“It’s a gallery. We don’t use the m-word.

Somebody holds a copyright on ‘Bell Museum.’ We are a library foundation with galleries.”

You won’t see every item from every one of Bell's collections in the galleries, however.

At any given time, Bell estimates, “we are www.encorekalamazoo.com | 15

only going to be displaying 2 to 3 percent.

Maybe. You know, most of it's in archives, and then that's up to a curator to decide what kind of show to put together. My goal for the opening show would be (for it) just to be called ‘Best of the Bell,’ because there's a lot of people, I think‚ at least if you read subreddit, they think I'm doing this to just put out some dusty old beer bottles.”

There are some beer bottles — and hundreds of beer cans — in the collections' mix, but they are certainly not dusty. Bell’s breweriana collection provides a remarkable overview of commercial beer brewing, including signage and advertisements for brands both familiar and obscure, tap handles, barrels, steins, coasters and scads of memorabilia: a Schlitz beer lamp featuring a woman in a 1950s swimsuit, a banner touting Pfeiffer Beer with a cartoon fife player (“Tops at the World’s Fair!”), and a 1905 serving tray from Standard Brewing Co. with a jolting image depicting the largest mass execution in American history: the hangings of 38 Sioux Indians in 1862, following the end of the U.S.-Dakota War. “Yes, we have some politically incorrect stuff,” Bell admits. “Not that we condone what it was but because it is part of the story of American history and has to be handled gently.”

That brewery tray also serves as a reminder that there’s something conspicuously absent from Bell’s treasure trove, or at least from the portion of it that’s on view: Bell’s Brewery memorabilia.

“You know, all the Bell’s stuff is pretty well put away,” Bell says. “I am just mentally now starting to go through all my old boxes of papers and stuff. I'm ready to face that stuff now, but I probably in my lifetime won't mount a Bell’s show. That's something for when I'm gone.”

All that jazz In his building at East Michigan and North Pitcher, Bell foresees a library where researchers can delve into myriad topics.

He has extensive book collections on polar exploration, African art, baseball, Mark Twain, Sherlock Holmes and, unsurprisingly, beer brewing. A few years ago he purchased the nearly 40,000-volume library of Southwest Michigan historian Larry Massie.

Bell also has about 2,000 titles on the history of jazz, a topic very close to his heart 16 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

and one that has strongly figured into his philanthropy. Last year, in conjunction with the Gilmore Festival, he awarded the first Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award, which will be presented every four years and funded by his gift to the Gilmore’s endowment.

The Bell Jazz Artist Award provides $300,000 over a four-year period to a musician for personal projects and career development and is the largest in the world for a jazz piano artist. The Bell Young Jazz Artist Awards honor two U.S.-based jazz pianists age 24 or younger. Each receives a $25,000 stipend to support artistic and educational development.

In October, Sullivan Fortner became the first recipient of the Bell Jazz Artist prize, while Tyler Bullock and Esteban Castro received Bell Young Jazz Artist Awards.

“Having the award, I think it just helps ensconce (jazz) as a serious form of music in the world,” Bell says. “Certainly, it's a very American form of music. Jazz and bluegrass come out of our roots and traditions that came from other countries but (were) adapted in the crucible that is America.

“I don't think any jazz pianist is going to go out there and work their tail off thinking

that they're going to win this award. That's not how it goes. But as word gets out on this, I hope it will become something that's respected.”

The jazz awards may seem like a pet project of Bell's, but they are actually in line with national trends.

Gilmore Executive and Artistic Director Pierre van der Westhuizen says music industry surveys point to an increasing interest in jazz among concertgoers but a plateaued following for classical music.

“Interestingly enough, many people remarked that this (year's) festival celebrated jazz heavily, but if you add up all the events, it's half and half classical and jazz, and it's pretty much been that way from the beginning,” van der Westhuizen says.

The perception that this year’s festival lineup leaned toward jazz, though, is “totally fair, considering that we celebrated this firstever Jazz Artist,” he adds. "But I think also it’s totally warranted, considering the impact that Larry made on the organization and the community.”

Bell is a past president of the Gilmore Board of Trustees, and a jazz award had been

my financial folks said, ‘Look, you're going to have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to disperse some funds.'”

When Bell thought about setting up a jazz award along the lines of the Gilmore Artist Award, he had a monetary number in mind: $8 million.

“After the (brewery) sale, I was able to make the funds,” Bell says. “Of course, this happened in January of 2022. Then the market took a tumble. It was the worst. And with the endowment rules for The Gilmore, if an endowed fund falls below 90% of

principal, you can't make disbursements.

We'd already hired a new jazz director. We have costs, and the fund is …” Bell blows a raspberry.

To keep the effort on track, Bell made an additional gift of $800,000. “I added the additional point eight (million) to it to make sure that we got this thing started,” Bell says.

“And now it's going along just fine.”

Hello, Gabriella That’s not the only contribution Bell has made to The Gilmore. There is also Gabriella.

Clockwise from top left: The outside of the building in downtown Kalamazoo that will become the library foundation; Bell's 1924 Model T; Gabriella, a Fazioli piano Bell bought for The Gilmore's use; some of the hundreds of vintage jigsaw puzzles he's collected; and an artwork by John James Audubon. (Photos by Jeri Love/Now Kalamazoo; Audubon photo by Brian K. Powers.)

under discussion since 2014, according to van der Westhuizen.

“This has been a long time coming, and it was part of the strategic conversations of The Gilmore for many years, as we saw this trend of jazz audiences growing,” he says. “The timing was just right, you know, with Larry's gift to establish this jazz award because it really recognized not only the contributions to the piano repertoire from jazz musicians in the piano world but also recognizes that the jazz audience is growing and that we want to be welcoming to jazz.”

Bell sees the jazz awards as an opportunity to boost the profile of jazz performers.

“There's a lot of competitions and awards out there in the classical world,” Bell says.

“But jazz, you know, there's not much there. And perhaps, it's never been taken as seriously in the music world, but there isn't any reason why it shouldn't be.

“I think there's folks my age that looked at jazz and wondered if it would survive, as Louis Armstrong dies and Miles Davis dies and Art Blakey — sort of that golden era of bop and all. Was the genre going to survive and find itself? Which, of course, it has.”

Nurturing the next crop of jazz artists "feels, you know, very fulfilling,” says Bell, a lifelong jazz fan. “I'm really lucky, and it's nothing that I ever planned. I was going to have the brewery until I died. But — you know? — things happen, and when confronted with the sale (of the brewery),

www.encorekalamazoo.com | 17

On a recent trip to Italy, Bell and his wife Shannon visited the Fazioli piano factory in Sacile, meeting its founder, Paolo Fazioli.

“His son, Luca, is managing (the company) now, and he married a former Gilmore Young Artist Award winner (Rachel Naomi Kudo).

They had four pianos, and we were going to buy one.”

In the Faziolis’ at-home concert hall, Kudo played all four instruments and Bell made his choice. “Once the piano was selected, I asked Ms. Kudo, ‘Now, do you feel, does this piano have a gender? And, if so, what is it?’ And she said, ‘I think it’s a strong female.’”

And so, like all the pianos in The Gilmore, she received a name — Gabriella. Gabriella arrived from Italy in April and made her debut at the Gilmore Festival Fellows Showcase on May 8. Gabriella will stay in the Gilmore annex of instruments until she relocates to the Bell Foundation.

The ballad of Larry Bell Bell’s involvement with music goes back to his childhood in Park Forest, Illinois. “When I grew up, my family, we had a player piano down in the basement,” he recalls. “We

probably had 150 piano rolls. My wife laughs (because) I’ll hear some old song, and I don’t even have to open my mouth. She’ll say, ‘Let me guess: That’s a piano roll song.’ I’m like, ‘Yep!’ “Probably the first concert I went to was a jazz concert. There was an old, traditional jazz piano player in my hometown who goes back to, like, the dawn of jazz. His name was Art Hodes. Art Hodes would give concerts at the Park Forest Plaza, and Mom would make us go.”

As a junior high student, Bell had dreams of becoming a jazz drummer in Chicago.

Instead, Bell began studying the flute.

“We had a great jazz program at my high school. There were two jazz bands and I played in the second jazz band. We guys followed (trumpeter and bandleader) Maynard Ferguson. We went to see Maynard at all the high school gyms."

Bell's flute playing continued when he came to Kalamazoo in 1976. He became a pupil of flutist and saxophonist Ken Morgan.

“Actually, on my second try, I was accepted into the WMU School of Music on flute, but I never matriculated,” Bell says.

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Bell stands in front of a Pfeiffer Beer sign that's part of his breweriana collection. (Photo by Jeri Love.)

He shared his love of music as a morningshow DJ on WYYY-AM, then turned into a mellower sort of radio personality on WMUK’s jazz-oriented “Common Ground” program in the early 1980s. Bell was also booking musicians to play at Hobie’s, the forerunner of Harvey’s on the Mall, which was torn down earlier this year.

“My first business card has pictures of musical instruments,” Bell says. “It says, ‘Larry Bell: Booking and Promotions.'

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“When I opened the Eccentric Cafe (in 1993), I always wanted to do jazz. I remember having Richie Cole, an awesome alto sax player. We had maybe 10 people come out.

But I could get a jam band, and those kids would come and drink like fish.”

In light of the current trends in jazz appreciation, it seems Bell was about 30 years ahead of his time.

Bell’s bells Going back to the plans Bell has for his Library Foundation building, in July 2025, he and van der Westhuizen traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, to visit the Verdin Co. to discuss what may be the foundation building's crowning glory: a 56-bell carillon, a musical instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells in a tower, that Verdin will manufacture.

“They’re sixth-generation bellmakers,” Bell says. “What a cool shop this was. Mostly they have the bells forged in the Netherlands these days, but then they build the actual instrument. They build the superstructure that everything sits on and the connections and the keyboard. The architects are working with them now, and I think the biggest bell will be 5,500 pounds.”

Bell envisions a carillonneur playing the instrument, which is notoriously difficult and physically challenging, allowing guests to watch either through a window or from a limited number of rooftop seats.

Not only will the carillon’s music present frequent aural reminders that the Bell Library Foundation is in town, it will also provide possibilities for artistic ventures.

“You can have your bells just play ‘Windsor Bells’ at the hour, or you can have a little something written that’s unique to you. You know, we could consider the instrument a keyboard, so perhaps there could be a commission in the future,” Bell hints.

It will be only the second carillon in Kalamazoo history. The other was in the former Episcopal Cathedral of Christ the King, a 47-bell carillon removed in 2007 when the cathedral, located on Vincent Drive in Portage, was deconsecrated and sold.

Most carillons include about 40 bells, but Bell has his own reason for including another 16.

“If you have 56 bells, do you know what you can do at 5 o’clock every day?” he asks with a sly smile. “Play jazz.”

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Small local theaters are thriving despite difficult funding environment

By KATIE HOUSTON

It's well known that funding for the arts has dwindled in recent years, even in an arts town like Kalamazoo with its robust philanthropy sector. While this news isn't good, there is a bright side: Two new theaters have launched here in the last year, and two long-standing small theater presenters have increased their budgets and the number of “butts in seats.” A third small theater attained nonprofit status this year.

The new theaters are Shakespeare in Kalamazoo and Echo Point Performing Arts.

The small theater organizations that have grown are Queer Theatre Kalamazoo and Face Off Theatre Company. Dormouse Theatre became a nonprofit.

As for dwindling arts funding, the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo's budget is down $200,000 from last year, from $1.3 million to $1.1 million, according to Executive Director Kristen Chesak.

“State and federal funding is just as tenuous as it has been for the past year unfortunately, and the additional clawing back of federal funding has left the arts kind of in a lurch," Chesak says. "We don’t expect to see MACC funding for operations for next year,” Chesak says, referring to the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, which regrants federal monies to arts programs throughout the state.

In spite of funding cuts, the local Arts Council continues to support its membership of roughly 85 arts organizations and 175 individual artists — the latter of whom are eligible for individual grants of up to $5,000 from the organization’s Kalamazoo Artistic Development Initiative. In addition to grantmaking, the Arts Council runs the city’s Art Hop program, which spotlights individual artists and the sites that host them on the first Friday of various months.

“Art Hop is as vibrant as ever," Chesak says.

The number of event stops has grown by approximately 20 percent since the pandemic and is up 10 percent over pre-pandemic numbers. Remaining Art Hops in 2026 are scheduled for the first Fridays in September, November and December.

The Arts Council also hosts Concerts in the Park at downtown Kalamazoo’s Bronson Park and supports Summertime Live, which brings free outdoor music concerts to communities throughout the county, including Vicksburg, Texas Corners and Portage.

Shakespeare with a twist Actors and educators Patrick Poole and Shannon Hill launched their nonprofit Shakespeare in Kalamazoo on April 23 last year — a date that’s both William Shakespeare’s birthday and the anniversary of his death.

The pair serve as the organization's artistic director and marketing manager, respectively.

“Kalamazoo has an amazing theater and arts community as a whole, but we felt there was a Shakespeare-shaped hole in it,” says Poole, noting that Shakespeare in the Park at Celery Flats ceased production in 2013.

Shakespeare in Kalamazoo held auditions in June to cast various endeavors, including a touring puppet show for children.

“We had about 20 folks audition, some with a lot of Shakespeare experience, some with little or none,” reports Poole.

The group will offer a free “trunk show” at 7 p.m. Aug. 21 at Portage's Hayloft Theatre.

“Three actors will perform a one-hour version of Romeo and Juliet using only the props and costumes we can store in a trunk,” explains Poole. The team hopes to take the show on tour to local schools and also offer performances by a Shakespeare puppet theater troupe.

Emerson Marshall, stage manager for QTK's production of Doctor Voynich and Her Children, follows along with the script during rehearsal. (Courtesy photo.)

October will bring a company production of Shakespeare, Not Stirred — a work involving eight tipsy Shakespeare characters that first premiered last year at Bell’s Brewery.

“We were surprised by how successful it was,” says Poole. “It combines over-thetop silliness with games and audience participation. Whether you're new to Shakespeare or have seen all of his plays or aren't even a fan, this is the perfect show for you.”

Reviving the Hayloft Echo Point Performing Arts, the other new local theater group, was founded by Kat Mumma, who is working to bring theater back to Portage’s Hayloft Theatre on a regular basis. Echo Point staged a July production of 1776, a musical about the country's Founding Fathers drafting and signing the Declaration of Independence.

“This first production affirmed something I already believed: Theater does not come from one person. It grows organically out of people wanting to create something together. There is absolutely no way this would exist without the people who showed up and helped build it," Mumma says. "This production has been carried by local artists, volunteers, families, donors and the City of Portage being willing to partner with a new organization and take a chance on live theater in this space again.

“My hope for Echo Point is that it becomes a lasting home for live theater in the Portage area — not just a place to put on shows but a place where people of different ages, backgrounds and experience levels can come together, make something excellent and feel like they belong in the room. This first production has already shown me that the community is ready.”

'Equality entertainment' Both Queer Theatre Kalamazoo and Face Off Theatre Company produce what QTK calls “equality entertainment,” using theater to spark conversation and action around social change — QTK for LGBTQIA+ writers and actors and Face Off for Black artists and other marginalized artists.

Each organization is devoted to building safe, empowering spaces for marginalized artists to flourish. Both continue to succeed at their respective missions, which include paying staff and actors.

It's progress that hasn't come easy, especially with regard to funding. “It's tough out there. The nonprofit sector is suffering, and the education sector is suffering, but when you are at the intersections of both those things, like Queer Theatre and Face Off, it’s even harder,” says Connar Klok, who has been at the QTK's helm since 2019.

Nevertheless, QTK has grown its annual budget during that time from $4,000 to www.encorekalamazoo.com | 23

more than $75,000. It is now heading into its 13th season, and its part-time paid staff are Klok and Managing Director “C” Heaps.

Face Off Theatre co-founder Marissa Harrington agrees on how tough it is for nonprofits. “We’ve worked really hard to find new grants,” she says.

The theater, created in 2015, reports receiving new funds from the Koa Fund (started in honor of the late Koa Voight Suarez) and the Harold & Grace Upjohn and Okun foundations. Face Off also receives support from other Kalamazoo arts funders such as the Dorothy U. Dalton, Irving S. Gilmore and Kalamazoo Community foundations and Stryker Corp.

“Two of us work very, very part time, because that's all that our budget allows,” says Harrington, referring to herself and Face Off's production manager, Alyssa Laney. “I'm very proud to say that our largest line item is paying our artists.”

Face Off staged five productions in the last year, and QTK staged four, all at various rented venues and offering pay-what-youcan pricing to boost accessibility. For Face Off, adding partnerships and more diverse offerings has helped the company grow.

“We’ve got more programming, more events, more partnerships and more collaborations,” says Harrington. “We’ve had monthly open mics with Speak It Forward and Crawlspace Comedy Theatre. We started a youth cohort, and we’ve beefed up our adult cohort program. We have been doing monthly workshops for them and for the community, and we’re expanding into music, poetry and spoken word.”

In addition, Face Off has collaborated with local arts organizations Authentic Opera, Soul Artistry and Shakespeare in Kalamazoo on various endeavors and is offering a professional development workshop on improvisation with Crawlspace Theatre from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 15, with registration open to the public.

While having a permanent performance space is still a dream for Face Off Theatre, QTK will have space in the Kalamazoo 24 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

The Dormouse Theatre, which opened in a former church in 2021, hosts a variety of arts events.

(Courtesy photo).

Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition building, at 315 W. Michigan Ave., after renovations are completed in 2028.

“We’ll have a black-box theater and office space on the basement level,” says Klok, adding that QTK increased audience engagement last year via their two productions and two festivals of shorts and received operational funds from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.

“That was pretty big," says Klok of the MACC funding, "especially since part of that came from the National Endowment for the Arts, which has suffered under the current administration. That was a surprise, but I give credit to the folks at MACC for figuring out how to get those to diverse populations.”

QTK’s upcoming season includes Pillow Fortress, by Aysha Zackria, in October; the Queer Shorts Festival Holiday Edition in December; An Asexual Operetta, by Western Michigan University senior composition student Cameron Olson, in February; a staged reading of Bury Your Gays, by Riley Greenstein; and The Movement, involving seven themed dance pieces by Raquel Hellenga. The dates of the latter two events are still to be determined.

As for what personally keeps them going despite challenges, Klok and Harrington offer surprisingly different answers.

“The hate mail,” Klok says. “Every time we get a hateful comment or I hear a queer playwright tell me their play was denied

because nobody is willing to take a chance on it right now, that tells me that as long as there is a need for queer placemaking, QTK needs to exist.”

For Harrington, “it’s a really deep, intense connection to the mission. We need a safe space for artists of color, specifically Black artists, to be able to learn and grow and develop. We can't not exist.”

'A much larger audience' Dormouse Theatre, founded by Stephen Dupuie in 2021 and located in a former church building in the Edison neighborhood, is now governed by a nonprofit organization called The Dormouse Arts Collective.

The collective's board is working to embrace a mission of being a grant-funded organization providing opportunities to new audiences and partners, says board president and improv devotee Grace Gheen.

“We hope becoming a nonprofit will provide accessibility, create affordable space for the community and provide lower ticket pricing,” says Gheen. “We are able to cater to a much larger audience and open our doors to a lot more people now.”

Some of those who have come through the doors are Pink Lynx (theater), Monoform Cinema (film), Katy Needs a Life (band), Move with Joy (dance) and Canned Champagne (improv). The 158-yearold building offers its main-floor stage and basement space for live

music, comedy, scripted theater and improv and also hosts a monthly open-mic session and classes by Boheme Belly Dance and Move with Joy. Tenant Rad Riso rounds out the building, specializing in low-cost Risograph digital duplication and Xerox printing for artists.

Dormouse board member and pro bono marketing manager Katy May, who leads the band Katy Needs a Life, says Dormouse's basement space is a popular venue among bands seeking to graduate from their own basements or garage performance spaces.

“The Dormouse is such a cool fringe space, and we welcome outside bookings and private events. This is a space made for the community,” May says.

Her favorite event of the last year, she says, was Punk Rock Lottery, a fundraiser for Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes that she hosted for her birthday. “I invited a bunch of musicians to participate, pulling names from a hat, and assigned them to three random new bands. They had seven weeks to write five songs and learn one cover and then perform them.” The winning band, Meat Cute, has the honor of choosing a nonprofit to receive the proceeds when Punk Rock Lottery returns in January.

“We are thrilled to be supporting more local creatives, lifting up underfunded groups, and building a vibrant, inclusive arts hub for everyone,” says Gheen.

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What's in Store This Season?

We asked some of the leaders of local arts organizations to give us a preview of their upcoming seasons. Here is what they told us:

Black Arts & Cultural Center As the Black Arts & Cultural Center celebrates its 40th Anniversary in 2026, we proudly reflect on four decades of preserving, promoting and celebrating African American arts, culture and history in Kalamazoo. What began with the first Black Arts Festival in 1986 has grown into a year-round cultural institution providing exhibitions, educational programming, performances, youth development opportunities and community engagement. Throughout the years, the Center has served as a vital space where artists, storytellers, musicians, and community members come together to share their talents, honor their heritage, and inspire future generations. This milestone anniversary celebrates not only our rich history but also our continued commitment to uplifting Black creativity, fostering cultural understanding and building a vibrant future through the arts.

— Janine Seals, Director

Farmers Alley Farmers Alley Theatre’s Season 19 brings six unforgettable stories to the stage, from sweeping history and sharp suspense to heartfelt family comedy and Tony-winning musical theater. Featuring My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War, Come from Away, Accomplice, Lost in Yonkers and Kimberly Akimbo, this season celebrates connection, resilience, laughter, and the power of live storytelling — because some stories are meant to be shared live.

— Jeremy Koch, Managing Artistic Director

Fontana Chamber Arts We celebrate 25 years of Fontana with a dynamic season showcasing both distinguished and emerging artists across a rich spectrum of styles — from early Baroque to Latin Jazz and the classical masters. A highlight includes renowned clarinetist David Shifrin performing Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet with the Miró Quartet.

The season opens with the innovative early music ensemble RELIC, presenting a fresh, narrative-driven program on period instruments. We conclude the season with the acclaimed Camerata RCO, featuring musicians from Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, performing expansive ensemble works, including octets by Schubert and Mendelssohn. Join us for this milestone season and experience the artistry, range and excellence that define Fontana.

— Sophié van der Westhuizen, Executive Director

26 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

Connecting Chords Music Festival Celebrate the unifying power of the world’s music at the 2026 Connecting Chords Music Festival, running from Aug. 14–Nov. 29. We'll feature the variety and quality of musicians our audiences have come to expect – from Nordic folk to Brazilian music to traditional Korean arts and everything in-between – if you know, you know!

You can take a trip around the world with performances of Nordic, Brazilian and Korean music as well as enjoy the spiritual sounds of gospel, jazz and folk music. With two performances at Bell's Brewery, a combination of indoor and outdoor venues, a live classic film score and a special partnership with Wellspring — our season is shaping up to be amazing! Visit our website at ccmusicfest.com to see our full schedule and join our email list.

— Eric Schmidt, Marketing Consultant

celebrate the unifying power of the world’s music 2026 FAL L FESTIVAL EVENTS INCLUDE: Biribá Union Thursday, September 24 at 7:00 PM Bell’s Back Room A unique rhythmic cocktail of Brazilian music, American roots, hip-hop and jazz.

Duke Ellington Sacred Concert Saturday, October 3 at 7:00 PM First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo A fusion of jazz, big band, gospel + spiritual themes by the acclaimed jazz musician

Stundom Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 PM Bell’s Back Room

Kalamazoo Civic Theatre Our 98th season, “Pieces of the Past,” celebrates the stories that connect us across generations. This exciting lineup features nostalgic musicals such as Anything Goes, Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein, She Loves Me and the timeless holiday favorite, The Wizard of Oz. In a display of powerful storytelling, Silent Sky, The Glass Menagerie and August Wilson’s Fences will offer audiences thoughtprovoking journeys through tumultuous times in America history. Sure to be a highlight of the season is the Civic’s Penguin Project production of Honk! Jr, in which every character is brought to life by artists with disabilities, paired with dedicated peer mentors who support, encourage and celebrate them at every turn. Finally, the season comes to a thrilling close in May with one of the world’s most celebrated musicals of all time, the epic and award-winning Les Misérables.

— Laura Cervic , Executive Director

The acclaimed trio blends Nordic folk traditions with classical chamber music.

Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 PM Kalamazoo College, Dalton Theater Experience the richness and vibrancy of traditional Korean performing arts.

Nagash Ensemble Sunday, November 15 at 7:00 PM Kalamazoo College, Stetson Chapel Combining the spirituality of Armenian folk song, classical music, and the energy of jazz + rock.

PLUS A SPECIAL COLLABORATION WITH WELLSPRING!

See our full schedule at

ccmusicfest.com Events subject to change. www.encorekalamazoo.com | 27

Kalamazoo Concert Band This season, the Kalamazoo Concert Band will celebrate 65 years of performing outstanding music for the Kalamazoo region. Our Oct. 24 performance at Chenery Auditorium will celebrate America’s Story at 250 Years with guest conductor and solo cornetist Chris Bradley from Glasgow, Scotland, the Kalamazoo Community Chorale, and the Kalamazoo Male Chorus. On Dec. 4 in Miller Auditorium, the KCB will get All Spruced Up for a Holiday Celebration with the Terry Lower Trio featuring vocalist Lana Hoffman. KCB will share the Chenery stage with the Great Lakes Circus on Feb. 27. Our season's grand finale will be Reflections and Fanfares, celebrating 65 years of the Kalamazoo Concert Band, and our Youth Soloist Competition winner, at 3 p.m.

April 18 at Chenery Auditorium.

— Tom Evans, KCB Conductor

Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestras Choosing just one highlight of this season is nearly impossible. On Feb. 14, we continue one of our most cherished traditions by welcoming back 2026 Stulberg International String Competition bronze medalist Katarina Kenny, who will perform Dvorák's monumental Cello Concerto on February 14. Our Spring Concert remains one of the year's most meaningful celebrations as we honor our graduating seniors and showcase the winner of the 2026 Concerto and Composition Competition. We also look forward to the Michigan premiere of Ode to Childhood by UK-based Iranian composer Farhad Poupel, which the KJSO cocommissioned, on April 25. Whether you are a longtime supporter or joining us for the first time, we look forward to welcoming you to Chenery Auditorium for another season of extraordinary music making.

— Megan Healy, Executive Director

Miller Auditorium Miller Auditorium's 2026–27 Broadway season showcases six acclaimed productions that span charttopping music, outrageous comedy, and unforgettable storytelling. Audiences will celebrate the life and songs of Neil Diamond in A Beautiful Noise, laugh through Legally Blonde, The Book of Mormon and SHUCKED, be captivated by the Tony Award®-winning Hadestown, and journey down the Yellow Brick Road with The Wiz. It's a season designed to entertain, inspire, and create lasting memories for audiences of every generation.

— Tracey Lawie, Director

28 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra This season celebrates bringing people together through unforgettable musical experiences. Whether you're joining us for Itzhak Perlman's Cinema Serenade or experiencing Star Wars: A New Hope with John Williams' iconic score performed live, we invite audiences to connect through the stories and music they love. At the Kalamazoo Symphony, music belongs to everyone, and we welcome the community to create lasting memories together.

— Amy Williams, President & CEO

The Gilmore Kalamazoo's thriving arts community is built by organizations that bring people together through creativity, and The Gilmore is proud to be part of that tradition. Yearround, The Gilmore presents world-class classical and jazz pianists through the annual Gilmore Piano Festival and the Rising Stars Series, inviting audiences to experience remarkable artists close to home. Each spring, the Festival fills venues throughout the region with concerts, special events and educational programs featuring internationally celebrated performers. In the fall, the Rising Stars Series introduces audiences to exceptional young pianists whose careers are just beginning to take off, offering the excitement of discovering tomorrow's leading artists today.

Whether you're a devoted music lover or simply looking for a memorable evening out, every performance offers something new to discover while celebrating the creativity and cultural vitality that make Kalamazoo such a special place to live. The World Plays Here.

— Pierre van der Westhuizen, Executive Director www.encorekalamazoo.com | 29

Music That Moves Us. Moments That Last.

2026·2027 SEASON Photo: Grittani Creative LTD

All concerts begin at 7:30 PM in the Dalton Center Recital Hall at Western Michigan University.

Out of this World.

Holst’s The Planets Feb 20

RELIC FRIDAY · OCT 2 · 2026 Radiant. Playful.

Dazzling.

acclaimed period instrument chamber orchestra described as “stylish and innovative” by New York Classical Review

Mozart & Stravinsky Sept 26

FRIDAY · NOV 20 · 2026

Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony Oct 17

featuring Shifrin in Mozart’s beloved Clarinet Quintet and in arrangements of music by Benny Goodman

Halloween Boos & Brews Oct 28

Handel’s Messiah Dec 19

Carnival of the Animals Jan 20

“…energy emanates from his fingers and swirls out of the piano.”

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Jan 30

– The Washington Post

SUBSCRIPTIONS & SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW fontanamusic.org 269/382-7774

30 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

St. Matthew Passion March 20

Brahms & Bronfman Nov 14 “A one-woman force of nature”

Craft Music

Wu Man: Echoes of the East Feb 13

– Gramophone Magazine

Special Event

PRESENTED BY

26/27 Season

© & ™ Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. Presentation Licensed by Disney Concerts in association with Warner/Chappell Music.

© Disney

“Indisputably one of the great violinists …”

– The Guardian

Majestic.

Exhilarating. Thrilling.

Signature Candlelight

Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert April 2 & 3

Itzhak Perlman: Cinema Serenade April 12

FRIDAY · APR 9 · 2027 chamber ensemble from Amsterdam’s acclaimed Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Vast. Profound.

Extraordinary.

Beethoven & Dvořák April 24

The Music of Carmen May 19

Get Your Tickets Today!

269.349.7759 KalamazooSymphony.com

Photo: Masterclass.com

CAMERATA RCO

Joyful & Triumphant.

Peter and the Wolf Nov 7

Photo: Frank Stewart

guitarist Diego Figueiredo and pianist Chuchito Valdés unite to present an evening of Latin jazz artistry

Merry, Bright, & Brassy

Carols by Candlelight Dec 9

A Symphonic Fairy Tale

FRIDAY · FEB 19 · 2027

Spend Your Holidays with the Symphony

Warmth, Wonder, & Illumination.

Jane Rooks Ross & Barry Ross Family Discovery Concert

CUBA MEETS BRAZIL

Celtic Candlelight with Selkie March 4

Organ & Brass: Deck the Halls Nov 21

Sparkling. Joyful.

Bright.

DAVID SHIFRIN, clarinet with the MIRÓ QUARTET

Make Spirits Bright, with Music & Memories.

T heArts

Outdoor Concerts Throughout the month Various venues

There's still time to catch an outdoor concert with a full slate of performances planned for this month. The scheduled concerts, showtimes and locations are: • Sushi Roll, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 2, Kindleberger Park, 122 N. Riverview Drive, Parchment • Kent Arnsbarger, 5 p.m. Aug. 5, Gilmore Car Museum, 6865 Hickory Road, Hickory Corners • Kyle Jennings and Siq Music, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 5, Bates Alley, located between Edwards and Portage streets in downtown Kalamazoo • Greg Cordes and Hipposonic, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 5, downtown Vicksburg • Jacob McLeod, 11:30 a.m. Aug. 7, Bronson Park • Rashaad Lee, Jon Godlee, Big Yak “G” and Ed Genesis, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 8, Kalamazoo Land Bank, 1523 Riverview Drive • Kalamazoo Pipe Band and Selkie, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 9, Kindleberger Park • Vineyard Chicks, 5 p.m. Aug. 12, Gilmore Car Museum • Kandance DC & Friends and DJ Boogie, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 12, Bates Alley • Cut N Loose and Hurricane, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 12, downtown Vicksburg • Youth and Teen Talent Show, 11:30 a.m. Aug. 14, Bronson Park • The Insiders: Tom Petty Tribute, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 16, Kindleberger Park • The Hoot Owls, 3 p.m. Aug. 19, Richland Community Center, 9400 E. CD Ave., Richland • Stranded Hobos, 5 p.m. Aug. 19, Gilmore Car Museum • Mojo Riot and Mel V, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 19, Bates Alley • Dylan Tolbert, 11:30 a.m. Aug. 21, Bronson Park • Mad Hat Mojo, 6 p.m.; King Pins Drumline, 7:15 p.m.; and Mister Tim, 7:45 p.m.; Aug. 21, Celery Flats Pavilion, 335 Garden Lane, Portage • Otsego Jazz Ensemble, 4 p.m. Aug. 23, Bronson Park • Zion Lion Reggae Band, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 23, Flesher Field, 664 S. Ninth St., Oshtemo • Schlitz Creek, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 23, Kindleberger Park • Out of Favor Boys, 5 p.m. Aug. 26, Gilmore Car Museum • Chris Canas Band and DJ No Limit, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 26, Bates Alley • Aaron James Wright, 6 p.m., and Heartless: A Tribute to Heart, 7 p.m., Aug. 27, Overlander Bandshell, 7810 Shaver Road, Portage • Carrie McFerrin, 11:30 a.m. Aug. 28, Bronson Park • Kalamazoo Academy of Rock, 4 p.m. Aug. 30, Bronson Park • Run 4 Cover, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 30, Kindleberger Park

MUSIC

New York Voices in Concert Aug. 1 Western Michigan University

This Grammy Award-winning jazz vocal quartet will perform a concert marking the end of its joint vocal Jazz Camp at Western Michigan University.

This will be the final year of the six-day immersive camp, held July 27–Aug. 6 at the WMU School of Music. Open to high school and college students, professional musicians, choral directors and others interested in the vocal jazz genre, the camp is taught by the quartet's members and other professional musicians.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. in the Dalton Center Recital Hall.

Tickets are $10–$20 and available online at wmich.edu/music/events.

Megan Dooley

Aug. 13 Miller Auditorium Veranda The singer described as "the First Lady of the Kalamazoo music scene" will give a free performance on Miller Auditorium’s outside veranda at 6:30 p.m.

A Kalamazoo native, Dooley has been performing for 25 years and is known for bridging the gap between the genres of soul, folk, jazz, country, Americana and roots. While the event is free, registration is recommended and can be done online at millerauditorium.com.

Comedy Performances

COMEDY

Throughout the month Various venues Cool down and enjoy comedy at a number of shows planned this month.

Crawlspace Comedy Theatre, 315 W. Michigan Ave., will feature the following performances: • Blunder Bus & Improv Trio, Aug. 1; • The Great Improv Showdown, 9:30 p.m. Aug. 8 • Always Hallways, Aug. 14 • Crawlspace Eviction, Aug. 15 • Oh Hey! & Improv Trio, Aug. 21 • Superstar Poetry Show w/Steve Brown, Aug. 22 • What Sharp Teeth & Blunder Bus, Aug. 28 • Pop Scholars, Aug. 29 All shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise and ticket prices vary. For tickets, visit crawlspacecomedy.com.

Improv comedy troupe Canned Champagne will perform at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8 at Dormouse Theatre, 1030 Portage St. Tickets are $15 and available online at dormousetheatre.com. www.encorekalamazoo.com | 31

TheArts

VISUAL ARTS

Resilience — A Sansei Sense of Legacy

Survival of the Species: Works of Randy Walker

Told from the point of view of Sansei (third generation) Japanese Americans, this exhibition of works by eight artists reflects on the effect of the forced imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II as it resonated from generation to generation.

The exhibition features works in a variety of mediums including paper, ceramics, photography and metal to express moments of deeply felt pain and reluctant acceptance.

An exhibition combining illustrations

by Randy Walker with ekphrastic poetry created by local writers and inspired by those works, will be featured at the gallery located inside the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 203.

Walker's illustrations focus on how humans treat animals with the goal of encouraging reflection in the viewer. An opening reception with the artist will be held at the Westin Gallery at 6 p.m. Aug. 7.

At 7 p.m. Aug. 12, eight poets will give readings at the gallery of ekphrastic poetry, which are vivid descriptions or responses to Walker's illustrations. Participating poets include Deb Eisenbise, Karen French, Arnold Johnston, Elizabeth Kerlikowske, Michelle Klee, Marsha Meyer, Christine Parks and Deborah Ann Percy.

Aug. 7–28 James C. Westin Gallery

Aug. 8–Nov. 1 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts

The KIA is open 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Thursday; and noon–4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10–$15 and free for children ages 6 and younger.

Miami Connection

FILM

Aug. 13 Dormouse Theatre

This 1987 film about a martial arts rock band that fights motorcycle ninjas on the streets of Orlando will be screened at 8:30 p.m. It will be preceded by a preshow party at 7:30 p.m. and a discussion will follow the movie.

Directed by ninth-degree black belt Grandmaster Y.K. Kim, this film has become a cult classic in the genre of American martial arts movies.

Dormouse Theatre is located at 1030 Portage St. Tickets are on a pay-what-you-will basis beginning at $5 and available online at dormousetheatre.com.

Ongoing Exhibitions Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: •W est Michigan Area Show, through Sept. 27 • For the People, By the People: America at 250, through Oct. 4

The Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers • I nspiring Connections, various artists •A Journey through the Seasons, Shannon Dion •G oddesses: You and Me Sister, Susan Teague • T he Limitless Sky, Suzanne B. Siegel

113 concerts 13 VENUES FREE TO ATTEND! Summertime

2026

The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, along with the cities of Parchment, Portage, Richland, Oshtemo Township, Texas Township, Vicksburg and Kalamazoo, as well as numerous venues, artists and the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation are thrilled to bring you the 2026 Summertime Live concert series! All types of musical genres are represented, so there’s truly something for everyone! Best of all, each concert is FREE of charge so bring your family and friends.

For Full List of Concerts, visit

KalamazooArts.org

P R E S E N T E D

32 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

B Y

THEATER • Rent • Driving Miss Daisy • Jesus Christ Superstar The Barn Theatre

The Barn crosses the age spectrum this month with three performances.

A year in the lives of young artists and musicians living in New York City's East Village in the shadow of HIV/AIDS is chronicled in Rent, being staged Aug. 1 & 2. Show times are 5 and 8:30 p.m. Aug. 1 and 5 p.m. Aug. 2.

Emmy Award-winning actress Kim Zimmer will star in the title role of Driving Miss Daisy Aug. 6–16. Show times are 8 p.m. Aug. 6, 7, 13 and 14; 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Aug. 8 and 15; and 5 p.m. Aug. 16.

Jesus Christ Superstar, a rock opera about the final days of Jesus of Nazareth, will conclude the theater's summer season Aug. 20–30. For showtimes, visit barntheatreschool.org.

The Barn Theatre is located at 13351 M-96 in Augusta. Tickets for all performances are $50–$58 and available by calling 250-6984 or online at barntheatreschool.org.

Continuing Productions

Dear Evan Hansen, Aug. 1–2, Farmers Alley Theatre

TheArts

is published in partnership and funding provided by

www.encorekalamazoo.com | 33

Community Jam @The Landbank — Rashaad Lee, Jon Godlee, Big Yak “G” & Ed Genesis, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Aug. 8, Kalamazoo Land Bank, 1523 Riverview Drive, kalamazooarts.org/summertime-live.

Megan Dooley — Free outdoor concert, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 13, Miller Auditorium veranda, millerauditorium.com.

PERFORMING ARTS THEATER Plays

Driving Miss Daisy — The unlikely friendship of a strong-willed Southern widow & her chauffeur, Aug. 6–16, The Barn Theatre, 13351 M-96, Augusta, 250-6984, barntheatreschool.org.

Musicals

Dear Evan Hansen — A high schooler invents a role for himself in a classmate's tragedy, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1, 2 p.m. Aug. 2, Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley, 343–2727, farmersalleytheatre.com.

Rent — A year in the lives of young artists & musicians in the shadow of HIV/AIDS, through Aug. 2, The Barn Theatre, 250-6984, barntheatreschool.org.

Jesus Christ Superstar — A rock opera about the final days of Jesus of Nazareth, Aug. 20–30, The Barn Theatre, 250-6984, barntheatreschool.org.

MUSIC Bands & Solo Artists New York Voices in Concert — Jazz vocalists, 8 p.m.

Aug. 1, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, wmich.edu/ music/events.

Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Concerts — Payton & Annabelle: The Songs of Simon & Garfunkel, Aug. 1 & 2 p.m. Aug. 2; Lip Critic, Aug. 5; Steel Pulse, Aug. 7; The Steel Wheels, Aug. 9; The Flying Leaps w/Two Dollar Bills & Dolphin Strangler, Aug. 15; Todd Rundgren, 6 p.m. Aug. 17; Deep Blue Something, Aug. 19; G. Love & Special Sauce w/ Dizzyisdead, Aug. 20; An Evening with Gaelic Storm, Aug. 21; Old 97s w/Buga, Aug. 28; all shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted otherwise, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 382–2332, bellsbeer.com.

The New Vic Summer Concert Series — The Garmen Brothers Band, Aug. 1; Jerry Brown, Aug. 8; Spiritus, Aug. 14 & 15; all shows at 8 p.m.; New Vic Theatre, 134 E. Vine St., thenewvictheatre.org.

Kindleberger Park Summer Concert Series — Live music, 6:30–8 p.m., Kindleberger Park, Parchment: Sushi Roll, Aug. 2; Kalamazoo Pipe Band & Selkie, Aug. 9; The Insiders, Aug. 16; Schlitz Creek, Aug. 23; Run 4 Cover, Aug. 30; kindlebergerarts.org/concert-series.

Burg Days of Summer — Live music & food trucks, 5:30–8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, downtown Vicksburg: Greg Cordes, Hipposonic, Aug. 5; Cut N Loose, Hurricane, Aug. 12; vicksburgmi.org.

Beats on Bates — Live outdoor music 5:30–8:30 p.m. Wednesdays: Kyle Jennings, Siq Music, Aug. 5; Kandance DC & Friends, DJ Boogie, Aug. 12; Mojo Riot, Mel V, Aug. 19; Chris Canas Band, DJ No Limit, Aug. 26; Bates Alley, downtown Kalamazoo, kalamazooarts.org/ summertime-live.

Wagging Through the Summer Concerts — Lucid Vibe, Aug. 6; Duke & The Loose Cannons, Aug. 20; both shows 6–8:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Humane Society, 2272 River St., kazoohumane.org/waggingthroughthesummer.

Lunchtime Live! — Free event in Bronson Park with live music & food, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Fridays: Jacob McLeod, Aug. 7; Youth & Teen Talent Show, Aug. 14; Dylan Tolbert, Aug. 21; Carrie McFerrin, Aug. 28; kzooparks.org.

34 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

The Hoot Owls — 3–6 p.m. Aug. 19, Richland Community Center, 9400 E. CD Ave., Richland, kalamazooarts.org/ summertime-live.

Friday at the Flats — Food trucks, vendors & music by Mad Hat Mojo, King Pins Drumline & Mister Tim, 6–9 p.m.

Aug. 21, Celery Flats Pavilion, 7335 Garden Lane, mypark. portagemi.gov.

Otsego Jazz Ensemble — 4–5:15 p.m. Aug. 23, Bronson Park, kalamazooarts.org/summertime-live.

Zion Lion Reggae Band — 6:30–8 p.m. Aug. 23, Flesher Field, 3664 S. Ninth St., oshtemo.org/events.

Aaron James Wright and Heartless: A Tribute to Heart — 6–9 p.m. Aug. 27, Overlander Bandshell, 7810 Shaver Road; bring a blanket or chair, mypark.portagemi.gov.

Kalamazoo Academy of Rock — 4–5 p.m. Aug. 30, Bronson Park, kalamazooarts.org/summertime-live.

COMEDY

Free Thursdays at the KIA — Free admission on Thursdays, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.

Curator’s Tour of For the People, By the People — 5:30 p.m. Aug. 6; registration requested.

ARTbreak — Virtual artist’s talk with Dulce Pinzón live on KIA’s YouTube page, noon Aug. 12.

My America: A Performance Lecture by Julio César Morales — 6 p.m. Aug. 13; registration requested.

Book Discussion — Irvin Weathersby Jr.’s In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space, 2–3 p.m. Aug. 19; registration requested.

ARTbreak —Laura Smith discusses "Reclaiming Native Narratives in American Art," noon Aug. 26; registration requested.

Summer Jams — Open mic night for music, poetry & creative expression, 6 p.m. Aug. 27.

Other Venues Continuing Exhibitions — Four exhibitions running through Sept. 9: Inspiring Connections, various artists; A Journey through the Seasons, Shannon Dion; Goddesses: You and Me Sister, Susan Teague; & The Limitless Sky, Suzanne B. Siegel; The Carnegie Center for the Arts, 107 North Main St., Three Rivers, 273-8882, trcarnegie.com.

Crawlspace Comedy Theatre — Blunder Bus & Improv Trio, Aug. 1; The Great Improv Showdown, 9:30 p.m. Aug. 8; Always Hallways, Aug. 14; Crawlspace Eviction, Aug. 15; Oh Hey! & Improv Trio, Aug. 21; Superstar Poetry Show w/Steve Brown, Aug. 22; What Sharp Teeth & Blunder Bus, Aug. 28; Pop Scholars, Aug. 29; all shows at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise, Crawlspace Theatre, 315 W. Michigan Ave., crawlspacecomedy.com.

Survival of the Species: Works of Randy Walker — Illustrations, Aug. 7–28, James C. Westin Gallery, Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 203; opening reception 6 p.m. Aug. 7; ekphrastic poetry readings 7 p.m. Aug. 12.

Canned Champagne — Improv comedy show, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8; Dormouse Theatre, 1030 Portage St., dormousetheatre.com.

LIBRARY & LITERARY EVENTS

FILM

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — Drive-in movie experience, 9 p.m. Aug. 8, Ramona Park, 8600 S. Sprinkle Road, mypark.portagemi.gov; time depends on sunset & weather.

Miami Connection — Screening of the 1987 martial arts film, 8:30 p.m. Aug. 13; pre-show party, 7:30 p.m.; Dormouse Theatre, 1030 Portage St., dormousetheatre.com.

Movie Night in the Park — Kids choose movie, 8:30 p.m.; movie, 9:30 p.m. Aug. 14, Vicksburg Pavilion, 300 N. Richardson, vicksburgmi.org.; bring a blanket or chair.

Kzoo Parks Summer Cinema — Free outdoor movies, U-Pick the Flick, drive-in-movie style, 6–10 p.m., Aug. 21, Spring Valley Park, 2600 Mt. Olivet Road (vote for a movie online); kzooparks.org/events.

VISUAL ARTS Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S. Park St., 349-7775, kiarts.org Exhibitions

West Michigan Area Show — Juried exhibition of works by area visual artists, through Sept. 27.

For the People, By the People: America at 250 — Reflecting America’s enduring ties to liberty, justice & identity, through Oct. 4.

Resilience: A Sansei Sense of Legacy — Eight artists tell stories of forced imprisonment by law EO9066, Aug. 8–Nov. 1.

Events Sunday Drop-in Conversations — Docents provide information & answer questions, 1:30–2:30 p.m. Sundays through October 4.

24-25 Foundations Exhibition — Aug. 12–Sept. 6, DeVries Student Gallery, Richmond Center for Visual Arts, WMU, 387-2436, wmich.edu/art Comstock Township Library 6130 King Highway, 345-0136, comstocklibrary.org Ferment All of It! — Making fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, hot sauce & more, 6 p.m. Aug. 5; registration required.

Pride Book Club — Discuss James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, 6 p.m. Aug. 12; registration required.

CTL Writers — Group writing discussion, 4 p.m. Aug. 21 & 28.

Shelf Assured Book Club — Pick a book on the theme “Read Around the World,” 5:30 p.m. Aug. 26; registration required.

Kalamazoo Public Library 553-7800, kpl.gov Beautifully Wrapped — Exhibition on the art of headwrapping, noon Aug. 1, Washington Square Branch, 1244 Portage St. Family Movie Mondays — Movie, snack & crafts, 2 p.m.

Aug. 3, Eastwood Branch, 1112 Gayle Ave. KPL Tech Days — One-on-one sessions to learn technology & the internet, 2–6 p.m. Aug. 4 & 11, Central Library, 315 S. Rose St.; sessions are first-come, firstserved.

No Shelf Control: A Graphic Novel Book Club — Adult group discussing Maria Sweeney’s Brittle Joints, 6 p.m.

Aug. 4, Central Library.

The Bohemian: Life of Guy H. Lockwood — History specialist discusses Lockwood's life, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 4, Central Library.

KPL Mobile Library — 10 a.m. Aug. 5, Kalamazoo Literacy Council, 420 E. Alcott St.; 3 p.m. Aug. 5, Parkview Hills Clubhouse, 3707 Greenleaf Circle; 4 p.m. Aug. 5, Oakwood Neighborhood Association, 3320 Laird Ave.; 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 10, New Village Park/Heather Gardens, 2400 Albans

ENCORE EVENTS Way; 10 a.m. Aug. 11, Lodge House, 1211 S. Westnedge Ave.; 3:30 p.m. Aug. 11, Interfaith Homes, 1037 Interfaith Blvd.; 3 p.m. Aug. 12, Douglass Community Association, 1000 W. Paterson St.; 3:30 p.m. Aug. 17, Milwood Commons, 2031 East Cork St.; 11:30 a.m. Aug. 20, Leisure Time Condominiums, Green Meadow Rd.; 2 p.m. Aug. 20, Leisure Pointe Condominiums, 4814 Weston Ave.; 3 p.m.

Aug. 25, Maple Grove Village, 735 Summit Ave.; stops are about one hour unless noted otherwise.

Make Your Mini! — Use HeroForge to design a D&D character to be 3D printed, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 5, Central Library.

Yoga on the Lawn — All skill levels, bring a mat, 6 p.m.

Aug. 5, Bronson Park, 200 W. South St.; 6 p.m. Aug. 19, Washington Square Branch.

Summer Reading Party — Crafts, games & activities, 11 a.m. Aug. 8, La Crone Park, 535 W. Paterson St.

Herbal Culinary Salt & Oil Blending Workshop — Enhancing foods with herbal salt & oil blends, 6 p.m. Aug. 11, Powell Branch, 308 W. North St.; registration required.

Community Cafe — Movie, board games, coloring, puzzles & more, 10 a.m.–noon Aug. 12, Central Library.

Chair Yoga — 2 p.m. Aug. 12, Central Library.

Dungeons & Dragons Game Night — Beginner to experienced level adults, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 12, Washington Square; registration required.

Euchre, Anyone? — All experience levels, 4:30 p.m. Aug. 13, Eastwood Branch.

Relax & Meditate with Tai Chi — Learn basic moves, 11 a.m. Aug. 15, Oshtemo Branch; registration required.

Romance Roundtable — Discuss Danica Nava’s Love Is a War Song, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17, Central Library.

Parkwyn Jazz Concert — 2–4 p.m. Aug. 29, Central Library.

Parchment Community Library 401 S. Riverview Drive, 343-7747, parchmentlibrary.org OLLI at WMU Senior Readers Theatre — Celebrates the ongoing narrative of growing older, 2 p.m. Aug. 5.

Summer Reading Celebration — 10 a.m. Aug. 8, Kindleberger Park, 122 N. Riverview Dr., Parchment.

Parchment Book Group — Discuss Lily King’s Heart the Lover, 6 p.m. Aug. 10.

Vinyasa Yoga — For adults of all levels, 5:15 p.m. Aug. 12.

Chair Yoga — For adults, 11 a.m. Aug. 15.

Mystery Book Club – Discuss Paige Shelton’s Bookman Dead Style, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 18.

Portage District Library 300 Library Lane, 329-4544, portagelibrary.info

Mini-Golf at the Library — Drop-in during open hours, Aug. 10–14, Eastwood Branch.

#D Word Book Club — Discuss Meghan Ashburn & Jules Edwards’ I Will Die on this Hill, 6 p.m. Aug. 19, Central Library.

Music & Memories — Music engaging older adults & those with memory loss, 11 a.m. Aug. 10, Oshtemo Branch, 7265 W. Main St.

Free Professional Headshots — Participants receive an edited photo, 4–6 p.m. Aug. 20, Central Library; registration required.

Kalamazoo History Trivia Night — For teams up to 6 members, 6 p.m. Aug. 10, Central Library.

Bujo & Chill — Lo-fi music & bullet journaling, 10:30 a.m. Aug. 22, Oshtemo Branch.

Rainforest Radicals — A history of Rainforest Action Network, 6 p.m. Aug. 11; registration required.

Page Turners Book Club — Discuss Monica Wood’s How to Read a Book, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 10, Oshtemo Branch.

Gentle Yoga with Apral — 5 p.m. Aug. 25, Eastwood Branch.

Monarch Waystation Tour — How to help Monarch butterflies, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 12; registration required.

GLAMA Acoustic Slow Jam — Great Lakes Acoustic Music Association members lead a jam, all acoustic stringed instruments welcomed, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 11, Van Deusen Room, Central Library.

Game Night! — Tabletop & card games, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 27, Central Library.

Kalamazoo Macintosh Users Group — Mac computers, programs & accessories, 9 a.m.–noon Aug. 15.

Senior Citizen Breakfast — 10:30 a.m. Aug. 28, Eastwood Branch.

Eating the Healthy Way — Discuss vegetarian nutrition, 6 p.m. Aug. 19; registration required.

Friends of the Library Book Sale — 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Aug. 1; members shop early, 4–5:30 p.m. July 31.

Yoga with Apral — 4 p.m. Aug. 6 & 18; registration required.

Electronic Recycling Drop-Off — 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Aug. 29, Washington Square, outside.

www.encorekalamazoo.com | 35

EVENTS ENCORE Richland Community Library 8951 Park St., 629-9085, richlandlibrary.org

Relix Riot — Featuring fins of the 50s & 60s, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Aug. 22.

Behind the Scenes: Raptors — Caring for raptors, 10 a.m. Aug. 15.

Bridge Club — Noon Tuesdays.

Pre-75 Orphan Marques Car Show — Brands no longer on the roads, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Aug. 29.

Free Tours of Kellogg Manor House & Lakeside Concert — Free tours of Manor House with docents, noon–3 p.m., lakeside concert with Cereal City Concert Band of Battle Creek, 3–5 p.m. Aug. 16, 3700 E. Gull Lake Drive, 269-671-2160.

Adult Dungeons & Dragons Bravo Team — New crusade each month, 3–6 p.m. Aug. 5; 5–8 p.m. Aug. 20; registration required.

Import Invasion — International autos, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Aug. 30.

End of Summer Reading Celebration — Prizes, pizza & foam activities, 11 a.m. Aug. 8.

Kalamazoo Valley Museum 230 N. Rose St., 373-7990, kalamazoomuseum.org

Richland Area Writer’s Group — Open to new members, noon Aug. 14 & 28, hybrid event.

Exhibition

Richland Genealogy Group — Discussion group, 10 a.m.

Aug. 20, in person & online.

Patron-led Book Club — Discuss Janet Skeslien Charles’ The Paris Library, 6 p.m. Aug. 20.

Between the Pages: Romance Book Club — Selection to be announced, 6 p.m. Aug. 26, Ned’s on Gull Lake, 15450 M-43, Hickory Corners; registration required.

Vicksburg District Library 215 S. Michigan Ave., 649-1648, vicksburglibrary.org Bridge Club — 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays.

Book Club for Adults — Selection at circulation desk, 9:30 a.m. Aug. 6.

Summer Reading Wrap Up Party — Prizes, snacks & activities, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Aug. 8.

Writers’ Motivational Group — Share goals, resources & advice, 4 p.m. Aug. 13.

Dinosaur Explorer — Animatronics, fossils & current dinosaur science, through Sept 6.

Events Rain Garden Tours — 10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Saturdays through Aug. 29.

Elements in Orbit — Free planetarium show celebrating 150 years of the American Chemical Society, 1 & 2 p.m.

Aug. 8.

NATURE Kalamazoo Nature Center 7000 N. Westnedge Ave., 381-1574, naturecenter.org

Fly-In of Visiting Plane & Rides — Historic B-25D-35 combat aircraft Rosie’s Reply, ticketed rides Aug. 8; buy tickets on website.

Guided Butterfly Hike — 1 p.m. Aug. 16; registration required.

Wednesday Night Cruise-Ins — Collector cars, food & live music: Kent Arnsbarger, Aug. 5; Vineyard Chicks, Aug. 12; Stranded Hobos, Aug. 19; Out of Favor Boys, Aug. 26, 5–8 p.m. Wednesdays through September.

Lincoln Homecoming Weekend — Events honoring David Schultz, Aug. 6–10.

Dam Good Nature Hike — History of dams in Portage, 9 a.m. Aug. 17, Bicentennial Park, 910 East Milham Ave., mypark.portagemi.gov.

MISCELLANEOUS

Texas Township Farmers Market — 4–7 p.m. Tuesdays & 8 a.m.–noon Saturdays, 7110 West Q Ave., texastownship. org/168/farmers-market.

Public Bird Training — How the KNC trains its birds of prey, 2 p.m. Aug. 15.

KAARC Red Barns Spectacular — Antique, classic & special-interest cars 25 years or older, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Aug. 1.

Kalamazoo Astronomical Society Public Observing Session — Super Summer Star Clusters, 9 p.m.–midnight Aug. 8; Waxing Gibbous Moon, 9 p.m.–midnight Aug. 22; Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N. Westnedge Ave., kasonline.org.

Golf Cart Tours — View nature through binoculars, 10 a.m. & noon Aug. 13; registration required.

Air Zoo 6151 Portage Road, Portage, 382-6555, airzoo.org

Gilmore Car Museum 6865 Hickory Road, Hickory Corners, 671-5089, gilmorecarmuseum.org

Beginning Birding Walk — 9 a.m. Aug. 1; Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery's 2nd parking lot, 34270 County Road 652, Mattawan, kalamazooaudubon.org.

Kalamazoo Farmers Market — 7 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Tuesdays & Thursdays; Night Market, 5–10 p.m. Aug. 20, 1204 Bank St., kzoofarmmarket.com.

Women’s Wilderness Retreat — One-day retreat for women, Aug. 15; registration required.

Air Zoo After Dark: Adult Space Camp — For adults 21+ with activities, simulators, crafts, snacks & adult beverages, 6–11 p.m. Aug. 22; tickets on website.

Other Venues

Cultivating Urban Gardens & Community — Regenerative land stewardship in local communities, 2 p.m. Aug. 1.

MUSEUMS

Sensory Friendly Sunday — 10 a.m. Aug. 9.

Guided Birding Hike — 9 a.m. Aug. 27.

Silver Maples: Intro to Composting — Program geared for ages 50+ but all are welcome, 11 a.m. Aug. 20; registration recommended.

Discover KNC Guided Hike — DeLano Trail, 2 p.m.

Aug. 22.

Sunset Opera Outdoors —Sara Emerson performs, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 22; registration required.

Summer Fungus Walk — Stroll to see mushrooms, 10 a.m. Aug. 29.

Herbal Oil Workshop — Create infused oils, 10 a.m. Aug. 29; registration required.

Kellogg Bird Sanctuary 12685 East C Ave., Augusta, 671-2510, birdsanctuary@kbs.msu.edu Birds & Coffee Chat Online — Nectar feeders, 10 a.m.

Aug. 12.

Portage Farmers Market — 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Sundays, through Oct. 11, 125 East Centre Ave., mypark.portagemi.gov.

Kalamazoo County Fair — 4-H animals & exhibits, rides & food, Aug. 4–8, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St., kalamazoocountyfair.com.

Richland Farmers’ Market — 3–6 p.m. Wednesdays, Richland Community Center, 9400 East CD Ave., richlandareacc.org/richland-farmers-market.

Vicksburg Farmers Market — 2–6 p.m. Fridays, 300 N. Richardson St., vicksburgfarmersmarket.com.

Sips in the Zoo — Daytime stroll through downtown shops with beverages, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Aug. 8, downtown Kalamazoo, discoverkalamazoo.com.

Tour de Zoo — Bicycle through the zoo, live entertainment, prizes & after-party, 6 p.m. Aug. 14, Binder Park Zoo, 7400 Division Drive, Battle Creek, binderparkzoo.com.

SW Michigan and the WWI Polar Bear Expedition — Nancy Brock discusses this mission to Russia, 2 p.m.

Aug. 16, Vicksburg Depot Museum, 300 N. Richardson St., vicksburghistory.org.

Kalamazoo Balloon Fest — Hot-air balloon displays & flights, Aug. 21–23, Gull Meadow Farms, 8544 Gull Road, Richland, gullmeadowfarms.com.

Michigan Herbal Conference — Herbal information, ancestral skills & health-specific knowledge, Aug. 21–23, Tillers International, 10515 OP Ave. E., Scotts, tillersinternational.org.

Ramona Beach Bonfire — Live music & s’mores materials, 8 p.m. Aug. 22, Ramona Park, 8600 S. Sprinkle Road, mypark.portagemi.gov.

Kalamazoo Rubber Stamp & Scrapbook Getaway — Paper crafting shopping with create & crop area, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Aug. 28–29, Main Expo, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 260-557-4809.

Kalapalooza — Food & live music, Taco & Tequila Fest, Aug. 28; Mac & Cheese Fest, Aug. 29, both nights 6–10 p.m., Honor Credit Union Stadium, 251 Mills St., kalapaloozafest.com tickets available online.

36 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

ENCORE BACK STORY Kate Yancho (continued from page 38) the physical education department to let me teach some for-credit dance classes and eventually got pulled into choreographing a couple of musicals for K’s theater department.

I left K College to be the executive director at Wellspring Dance (formerly Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers). I really enjoyed the work at Wellspring and it was a hard decision to leave there for the role of executive director of Education for the Arts, but I think it was the right decision. I started at EFA in May 2025 and continued working for Wellspring for three months while they transitioned in a new executive director. I've just celebrated not only my first year, but my first full school year, with EFA. What does Education for the Arts do?

I am the principal of a county-wide high school arts program. We don't have our own building; we work either in local school districts — for instance, we have a very robust dance program at both Loy Norrix and Kalamazoo Central high schools with multiple dance classes per day taught by our staff — or students leave their buildings, go to the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts or the Epic Center and work with arts organizations as a class for credit.

We also have different residency programs where teachers work with us to bring teaching artists into their classes once a week for six to eight weeks, building lessons collaboratively. If a class is working on some concept of shadow in science, they'll build this whole residency around: “What can we do with dance and shadows?”

Another residency program focuses on a work of art. We connect with the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts on two exhibits and build our own traveling exhibit to take into schools. That program also brings a teaching artist to build a residency where the students get to test out the methods or the themes of that work of art. Then they go see the piece, explore it and reflect upon how they saw what they learned in that work of art.

We also have a program for special education and alternative ed students. Those residencies are really flexible because the needs of those students may be very different. We produce a multi-sensory art project every year in collaboration with the Civic Theatre, where students help produce a performance. Special education students can see and experience the work in a place that feels very open and accessible to them.

Finally, we are grateful to be the re-grantor, if you will, of funding from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation for educators in the community who want money to access arts experiences. We have several different grant programs for educators — like a science teacher who wants to do more artistic things and needs to take a workshop to learn how to do that, or who wants to partner with an artist and needs funding.

We also have a big student grant program where students can apply to get tuition support, support to attend camps or new equipment.

Tell us about the new strategic plan for EFA. There's a lot of emphasis in the strategic plan to bring more visibility to the impact we have on students, particularly in areas of arts education, which inherently builds collaboration, creativity and communication skills, all of which are important right now as we start navigating the world of AI and how technology changes how we do things. We cannot lose touch with how we are human and how we connect to ourselves and see ourselves.

We're currently working on revised mission and vision statements and a menu of services that will make it more clear to the community about what we offer. At the same time, how can we be sure we’re preparing a pipeline of teaching artists and people who can do that work? That’s where the bulk of our focus will be.

— Interview by Jordan Bradley, edited for length and clarity

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BACK STORY ENCORE

Kate Yancho

Teaching Kalamazoo students through immersive arts education

It's easy for Kate Yancho, executive director of Kalamazoo RESA’s

Education for the Arts (EFA) program, to identify the aspect of her career that she’s most passionate about: mentoring young artists.

In a previous position working with students at Kalamazoo College, it was often that “the artsy students would come and find me” for mentorship and help finding their paths, she recalls.

“That’s where, I think, I really found my voice as an administrator,” Yancho says.

From Yancho’s perspective, the EFA program is pivotal for students, and she’s received the feedback to prove it.

“We often hear that on days when EFA will be there, they (the students) come to school. We drive attendance because they want to come do that,” Yancho says. “I’ve heard principals in this community say if it was not for the EFA class that Student A is enrolled in, they don’t know if they would have made it through this year or to graduation.”

How did you get where you are today?

I grew up just south of Canton, Ohio. My dad was a coal miner.

My mom was in the theater and my dad was a musician when he wasn't coal mining, so we grew up in a really artsy home. I started dancing when I was seven and danced through high school. I did community and high school theater and just loved to perform. I got a degree in dance performance in 2005 from Kent State University. While there, I worked on campus in an administrative position. It was so cool.

In our department, we had a staff of event planners doing on-campus programming for students. We ran a post office and a studio where graphic design students could have on-campus jobs designing works for other on-campus entities. I became the manager of that department, working fulltime managing 50 other undergraduate students.

I worked at the College of Wooster for a year after I graduated and then went to Ohio State University for a master's degree in higher education and student affairs programming. After grad school, I was looking for a job at a small liberal arts institution because I felt that's where I could have a bigger impact on students. I was hired as the assistant director of student activities at Kalamazoo College in 2008 and did that for eight years. I also advised the student dance company organization at K and convinced (continued on page 37) 38 | ENCORE AUGUST 2026

SPONSORED CONTENT

August Is the Perfect Time to Start Planning Your Holiday Travel

By Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport Staff

August. The month to head to the

beach, go back-to-school shopping — and get ready for Christmas? It may seem a little early to think about Christmas decorations and ringing in the New Year, but August is actually one of the smartest times to begin planning your holiday travel. While the holiday season may still feel months away, experienced travelers know that a little planning now can mean lower fares, more flight options, and a much less stressful travel experience later.

The weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year's are consistently among the busiest travel periods of the year.

As families finalize plans and demand increases, airline ticket prices often rise, and the most convenient flight times begin to disappear.

Travel experts generally recommend booking holiday trips several months in advance, with August offering an ideal window to begin searching for and securing flights before demand reaches its peak. Waiting until October or November can often mean paying significantly more for the same trip while having fewer choices for departure times and connections. Booking early also allows you to choose the itinerary that works best for your schedule instead of settling for what's left.

For travelers in Southwest Michigan, there's another advantage that often gets overlooked: starting your journey close to home. Flying from Kalamazoo/ Battle Creek International Airport allows you to begin your trip without the added stress of a winter drive to a distant airport. Instead of worrying about traffic, winter road conditions, lengthy parking shuttles, or the extra time needed to navigate a busy metropolitan airport, you can enjoy a more convenient and relaxed start to your holiday.

One of the biggest misconceptions about flying from a regional airport is the belief that flights are more likely to be delayed or canceled. In reality, AZO consistently ranks among Michigan's leaders in on-time departure performance. While weather or airline operational issues can affect any airport, beginning your trip in Kalamazoo means you're starting from an airport with an excellent record of getting passengers on their way.

Beginning your trip locally also means spending less time behind the wheel and more time with the people you're traveling to see. Many travelers find that the convenience of departing locally is well worth considering, especially during the busy holiday season when highways and larger airports are at their busiest. Your vacation begins the moment you leave home — not after time spent driving to another city.

When comparing travel options, remember that the cost of your trip isn't just the price of an airline ticket.

Consider the fuel required to drive to another airport, parking fees, vehicle wear and tear, and the value of your time. Add in the stress of holiday traffic and navigating a large airport and flying locally often provides greater value than many travelers realize. Starting your trip in Kalamazoo allows you to skip much of that hassle and begin your holiday with a more relaxed travel experience.

As August arrives, make holiday travel one less thing to worry about later this fall. Start comparing flights, consider flexible travel dates if possible, and book early to secure the best combination of schedules, fares, and convenience.

Before automatically assuming you need to drive to another airport, take a few minutes to see what Kalamazoo has to offer. Visit www.flyazo.com to explore destinations, schedules, parking information, and travel resources. This holiday season, plan ahead, start local, and look at Kalamazoo first. You may discover that the easiest part of your holiday travel is getting there.

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Aug 8–Nov 1, 2026 Learn more at kiarts.org A program of:

Roger Shimomura, American Infamy #6, 2015; acrylic paint on canvas, 72 x 108 x 2 inches; Courtesy of Greg Kucera Gallery.

Kristine Aono, Daruma of Resilience, 2019 - 2021; photocopied documents, paper sticky notes, paint, Aqua Resin, EPS foam, wood base; Courtesy of the artist, photograph by Chris Barclay.

Jerry Takigawa, Citizen's Indeenite Leave from the series Balancing Cultures, 2016–21, 2017, pigment print on Hahnemuhle Photo. Courtesy of the artist