Over the years, Bill Burr has become known for his edgy stand-up bits — he’ll rant about how stay-at-home moms are taking it easy and “living the dream” and then smoothly segue into the positive aspects of population control. Monday, Oct. 26, he brings some of that heat to DeVos Performance Hall.
Catch the last glimmer of sunshine traveling around West Michigan by boat and other glorious modes of transportation. By Steven G. de Polo
Tomáš Kubínek: Certified Lunatic and Master of the Impossible
The Mendel Center Mainstage at Lake Michigan College
2755 E. Napier Avenue, Benton Harbor
Saturday; Oct. 3; 7 p.m.
Tickets: $15–$30
themendelcenter.com; (269) 927-1221
Kick off the month with a certified lunatic, Dr. Professor Tomáš Kubínek, master of the impossible. A refugee from the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, Kubínek ran away to be in the circus by age 13. Today he is recognized worldwide as a comic genius, virtuoso vaudevillian and all-round charmer. The 90-minute show is fit for all-ages. The spotlight will struggle to catch the performer, a physical poet and verbal acrobat who does not have to hide behind special effects. There will be needless risks and fantastically useless inventions. A pre-show cash bar will be available in the front lobby one hour before show time.
Keweenaw Excursions
Beaver Island Ferry Dock, Charlevoix
keweenawexcursions.com; (231) 237-9365
Charlevoix Apple Festival
Oct. 9–11
A relaxing jaunt could be catching the vibrant fall colors in Charlevoix this October. Since 2000, Keweenaw Excursions has been offering sunset and sightseeing tours along Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and Lake Charlevoix. You will cruise on the 110-foot vessel capable of carrying 130 passengers with full bar, heated/air-conditioned main cabin, walk-around main deck and open-air top deck. There is plenty of room for the kids to explore and just be kids 10 minutes after the cruise starts. And don’t think it’s too late for the color change.
“The color season ends later up here,” said Captain Jason Funkey. “Everything is dead in Boyne Highlands as we go through mid-October.” Go the weekend of Oct. 9–11 to catch the Charlevoix Apple Festival. Some 30 types of apples will be on hand as well as other fall harvest items like pumpkins, squash, jam, honey, maple syrup, pies, caramel apples, cider and more. “It will be in the 70s one day, then sleeting and in the 40s the next day. Color season will be over for the year,” Funkey said.
Fall Fest
Downtown Holland and Holland Farmers Market, Holland
Oct. 9–10
downtownholland.com
Haul your hellions to Holland for the Fall Fest; it runs Oct. 9–10. Co-hosted by the fine folks at Downtown Holland and the Holland Farmers Market, the two-day event will have professional pumpkin carvers carving onsite, jack-o-lanterns on display and hayrides to and from the Farmers Market. Kids will be able to do competitions like pumpkin painting, pumpkin toss, candy in a haystack hunt, guess the weight of the pumpkin and other activities to win prizes.
Shop downtown’s charming boutiques for cozy sweaters and warm boots for the fall. Stay late to see the pumpkins glowing to perfection. Saturday night features the Down Home Old Fashioned Country-Style Comfort Food Cook-Off with live music and an outdoor beer tent. Cheers!
American RV
201 76th St SW, Grand Rapids
americanrv.com; (877) 863-9527
Travel in style in an RV rented by American RV and then head over to the Outdoor Discovery Center in Holland. The center’s Wildlife Kayak Tours are family-friendly kayak excursions focusing on wildlife discovery and education. American RV’s Chad Neff recommends a Trek Motorhome, which is made for families with an active lifestyle and plenty of storage for gear including water sports.
Don’t miss the Somewhere in Time Weekend (Oct. 16-18) at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Be prepared to dress the part and even meet cast members like Jane Seymour. Camp out at the Mackinaw Mill Creek campground in your Travel Lite truck camper and then take the ferry over to the island for the weekend. Another must-see is the Fall Color Tour along M-22. It’s a 116-mile stretch of scenic highway through Benzie, Manistee and Leelanau Counties. Tip: Pick a bunkhouse travel trailer, which is easy to pull into campgrounds along the route.
With all of the commotion caused by ArtPrize, and the constant flow of other arts-related events in the area, it’s impossible to tell every story. Nonetheless, Revue’s Arts Issue, at the very least, offers a sample of what our side of the state has to offer.
For 26 years Classic Stereo was a hi-fi fixture in West Michigan. Then, following the economic recession, the retail outlet closed in 2008 – but the story doesn’t end there. The audio/visual electronics retailer, which previously had locations in both Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, is now prepping for a comeback in Grand Rapids.
The West Michigan Film and Video Alliance teamed up with the UICA for its new project, the Visiting Film Artists Series. The series focuses on bringing film-industry professionals to Grand Rapids to host workshops and presentations about the art of film. From directors and writers to actors and costume designers, the idea is to have working experts in the biz.
When Lydia VanHoven and her colleagues at the Bandit Zine set out to create Grand Rapids’ first-ever feminist film festival last year they weren’t exactly sure what kind of response they would get. As it turns out, roughly 400 people showed up for the event, far exceeding expectations. “We were initially going to just do Grand Rapids Feminist Film Festival as a one-time event,” VanHoven said. “But since the response was so positive we wanted to make it an annual thing."
Aside from several decades of tired Murder City clichés, if Detroit has a reputation for anything, it’s for being on the cultural vanguard. From proto-punk to techno, Detroit is the place where cool things happen a decade before anybody else thinks of them. That reputation transcends the musical realm. Long before The Onion – or even Grand Rapids’ own Recoil – took a biting and satirical look at arts and culture, there was a monthly Detroit magazine called Orbit.
Local cinephiles were likely bummed about the cancelation of this past summer’s Waterfront Film Festival. Since 1999 the acclaimed South Haven event has unequivocally celebrated independent filmmakers while showcasing hundreds of Midwestern and world premieres, from Man on a Wire to Napoleon Dynamite.
Unlike many stand-up comedians, superstar Brian Regan doesn’t fear the infinite space of the great outdoors. “Most comedians I think are a little hesitant to play outdoors, but I don’t have a problem with it,” Regan told Revue. “I was doing a show one place outdoors and I was doing a joke about the moon. I looked up and I literally saw the moon up there and I was like, ‘Wow, I guess I’m a prop comedian. Take a look! It’s the biggest prop in comedy history.’”
It’s that time of year again where awkward youth flock to ramshackle cabins in the woods and brave mosquitoes, campfire ghost stories and Mystery Meat Tuesdays in hopes of forging friendships and embarking on unforgettable adventures. Wealthy Theatre’s summer camp is the alternative, designed for the creative, less outdoorsy individuals.
The Grand Rapid’s Public Library is hosting numerous educational and literature-based events throughout the summer. Books, theater, science, comics and even animals can be expected to make an appearance at a few of their events. The best part: They’re all free. For all the details, visit grpl.org.
In the ‘80s, stand-up comedy boomed. Clubs were packed, legends were born and anything was possible. For one glorious decade stand-up reigned. Decades later the Internet has introduced the new generation of stand-up comedians. A comedy renaissance is underway and it’s larger and more diverse than ever before. That’s where Taylor De La Ossa comes in.
Milwaukee-based Americana songwriter Peter Mulvey, who’s no stranger to the West Michigan music scene, sat down on Friday and wrote a new song in a basement dressing room at the Calvin Theatre in Northhampton, Mass. The song, “Take Down Your Flag,” is a direct narrative on the tragic Charleston, S. Car. church shooting and the accompanying push to remove the confederate flag from the state’s capitol.
For a long time, Station Eleven author Emily St. John Mandel only told stories through the language of her body in motion. But one day, while studying contemporary dance at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, the narrative stopped making sense. “There was a point where I realized that dance wasn’t fun anymore,” St. John Mandel recalled. “It was more a burden than a joy.”
