The end of summer is normally a sad period for many as they pack up their beach sand-inspired dreams and prepare for the onslaught of the fall's craziness. It's back-to-school, endless ArtPrize stories and a trail of sparkling gala affairs, ending with a large man in a white beard dropping back in town with a blanket of snow to really slow us down.
You get the picture?
Things move pretty damn fast as we head from the season of sun into autumn, and so the best I can offer as we exit summer in the coming weeks is the advice to grab all you can while the season is upon us.
Two green-themed events are sharing this space since one is about this theme of closing and the other is just the beginning celebration of another in Grand Rapids.
GRAM on the Green ends the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s fourth year of providing our local musicians a platform from which to showcase their talent.
On Friday, literary rock act The Fainting Generals will not back down from grabbing the brass ring at this finale event, with plans to play nearly their entire catalogue, including new works and tracks from their first two WYCE Jammie nominated releases. Would you expect any less from a band whose name is inspired by a former President who fainted after hitting his mansack while riding in the saddle?
It is also one of the last times one can experience the "Cities in Transition" exhibition, which seeks to shed a light on our city (as well as Detroit) in a collection of prints looking at world cities over the centuries.
The other event arriving this week is the second annual
Green Gala, a fundraiser modeled after Chicago’s annual green event.
This event is quickly becoming the ticket to have in the city, with its impressive list of young and very active new urbanites who not only fill the sponsor list, but also the stellar lineup of host committee members.
In short, it is filled with people who are doing more than just cheerleading from the sidelines, as many of these folks perform the heavy lifting to make our city grander than grand.
The entertainment for the event is always exciting, as they present acts that have not performed here before, and are of a high caliber -- much like Friends of Grand Rapids Parks is to our region.
This year is no different. The Hounds Below, an act from the East side of the state and a recent SXSW showcasing act, will perform.
The food this year will be international street food with an amazing twist that has to be seen and tasted to believe how incredible it will be.
The Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, through a devoted team of community volunteers, are changing the face of our city, and their new
Urban Forest Project is sure to turn heads all over the country very soon.
In 50 years, those of us who are left will look back at this time in our history and say thank goodness we had these placemaking, forward thinking events in our parks and galas to benefit them.
The future is being created now, and we all have a chance to be a part of this investment. The green we create now will only grow and this week, these two events give us a chance to celebrate what we create here in the now.
Admission: GRAM on the Green - Free / Green Gala - $75.