Good Morning Grand Rapids!

Welcome to the first installment of our bi-weekly newsletter, as we’ve just got too much awesomeness to squeeze into a single email each week. We hope that you’ve had a lovely long weekend, that you’re feeling fresh and re-invigorated, ready to take on a brand new week in one of the best places on Earth!

Let’s get into it! ☀️ 

**For our #cashstash followers - here’s your hint: Don’t be a lush about your health on Wednesday. (yes, that makes no sense, but a quick google might help ya) 🙂 

📰 This Week’s Grand Stories

Beer City Open: Pickleball Championships are returning to Belknap Park with over 1,000 pickleballers descending on the area this week. We went to watch last year, and it’s a lot of fun, even if you don’t play!

🌳Wood Recycling Gets Seed Funding: Woodchuck, an AI-driven company dedicated to recycling wood, has received $3.75 million in Venture Capital funding.

🎆The Rocket’s Red Glare: WoodTV published some of their favorite photos from last week’s fireworks.

🧩15 Years of Puzzled Pints: House Rules Board Game Lounge will celebrate 15 years of Puzzled Pint, a community-led puzzle challenge taking place in over 3,000 locations, on Tuesday, July 8.

⏺️Missing Pauly D: This weekend, a user named /u/marzzyy__ posted a thread about Jersey Shore DJ Pauly D being over eight hours late to his show at Gun Lake despite tickets costing more than $400.

Hot Event Alert: Jim Gaffigan is coming to Van Andel on July 17th

Hot Event Alert:  Hamilton Broadway is coming to DeVos Hall on July 23rd

📆 This Week’s Grand Events

Monday, July 7

Wine & Martini Mondays: Come to Gimme’s Par and Grill to unwind with an evening of special martinis, wine, and charcuterie boards. 4 PM. Free.

Jazz in the Park: Come on out to Millenium Park at 6:30pm for some free Jazz!

Circus in Caledonia: Grab your kids and head over to the library in Caledonia to see Cirque Amongus at 10am!

Tuesday, July 8

Dirty Dancing at Wealthy Theatre: You’ll have the time of your life when Dirty Dancing comes to the Wealthy Theatre. 7:30 - 9:30 PM. $6 - $8.

Sharks After Dark: Shark Trivia: Calling all shark lovers! Do you know everything there is to know about sharks? Here’s your chance to show your stuff, when Shark Trivia comes to Grand Rapids Public Museum. 7:00 - 9:30 PM. $15 - $60.

Wild Encounters with John Ball Zoo: Here’s a chance to learn all about animals and their habitats with a series of hands-on exploration at the Grand Rapids Public Library with members of the John Ball Zoo. 2:30 - 3:30 PM. Free.

Michigan Mafia String Band: Have hot dogs and ice cream while you listen to the Michigan Mafia String Band in Caledonia - starting at 6PM

Wednesday, July 9

Exploring Future Fossils: Live Talk with Paraguayan Researchers: Here’s an exceedingly rare opportunity to talk with field researchers from Paraguay discussing their finds in the Pilcomayo River Fan. 11 AM. Free with General Admission ticket.

Shrek 2 in Concert: Shrek 2’s about to get even more magical when the Grand Rapids Symphony bring its breathtaking songs to soaring orchestral life. 7:30 PM. $50 - $139.

Thursday, July 10

America: You’ll want to climb on your horse, whether or not it has a name, and head on down to DeVos Performance Hall to catch America’s Encore Tour. 7 - 10 PM. $217 - $451.

Cherry Farm to Table Dinner: Nothing is more magical than cherry season in Michigan, which you’ll discover when you come to Ed Dunneback & Girl's Farm Market for a delicious four course gourmet dinner. 6 - 8 PM. $48.

Explore Your Parks: Forest Bathing Workshop: Here’s your chance to explore your parks on a whole ‘nother level, as Friends of GR Parks train you how to truly take in the gorgeous nature of Ken-O-Sha Park. 6 - 7 PM or 7:30 - 8:30 PM. Free.

Intro to Plant-Based Cooking: We’ve come a long way from veggie burritos and mac ‘n cheese when it comes to vegetarian cooking, as you’ll discover when Jill Keb and Kathy Taylor of Plant Life Journey take you through this plant-based cooking workshop. 6:30 - 8 PM. Free.

🏘️ Belknap Hill

Did you know that the Belknap Earthworks Project is steeper than Filbert Street in San Francisco?

📅 Add to Your Calendar

🍝 Get Ready For West Michigan Italian Festival: Mark your calendars now. West Michigan Italian Festival is coming to the Tanger Outlets for a weekend of fabulous food, delicious drinks, local artisans, and live music on July 25 - 27.

Grand Rapids FitFest Returns: One $20 ticket gets you access to unlimited classes at 30+ studios and gyms all over the city during FitFest week (July 28th-Aug 2nd) and the official Recovery Day on August 2nd!

🏃 Upcoming Runs & Walks!

Earlier this year, one of our readers wrote in asking about running and walking events happening around Grand Rapids. We aim to please! Here are a few running and walking events happening in the next few weeks and months, so you can start warming up now.

RunGR's Magic of the Mile: Don’t miss this opportunity to run a mile under the glorious summer sun when RunGR’s Magic of the Mile comes to Eagle Stadium on

👨‍💼 Highlighting New Businesses

Gimmes Par and Grill is new and open to some well-deserved fan fare. With 4.8 Stars and over 100 Reviews on Google… the food is great, the golf simulators are above par and the drinks are always swingin.

Playa Bowls just opened on East Beltline offering acai bowls, juices and smoothies.

 🎶 Plan Ahead for Big Concerts & Shows!

Quite a few readers have said they’d like a little more advance notice on upcoming concerts and shows - so here ya go! Whilst this isn’t everything - it’s a lot of the big names coming to town!

Jim Gaffigan is coming to Van Andel on July 17th

Hamilton Broadway Production is coming to DeVos Hall on July 23rd

Dude Perfect is coming to Van Andel on July 30th

Louis CK is coming to DeVos Hall on Aug 26th and 27th

Jason Aldean is coming to Van Andel on Sept 4th

John Crist is coming to DeVos Hall on Sept 19th

The Lumineers are coming to Van Andel on Oct 1st 

Brandon Lake is coming to Van Andel on Oct 11th 

Matt Rife is coming to Van Andel on Nov 9th

Bert Kreischer is coming to Van Andel on Nov 20th