Community Updates: Friday, August 4

Grand Rapids Public Museum Announces Diversity Panel, Overnight Perseid Meteor Shower Events

On Monday, the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced that it will be holding a diversity panel next weekend.

According to Monday's press release, this event will be led by Dr. David Pilgrim, the Founder and Director of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery at Ferris State University. The panel will include meaningful conversations between panelists about the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery at Ferris State University, the Overcoming Hateful Things: Stories from the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery exhibit, and "the necessity and significance of engaging in dialogues regarding race, race relations, and racism." Attendees will also be able to ask questions of the panel.

Besides Dr. Pilgrim, the panel will include:

• Dr. Bill Pink (President of Ferris State University)
• Shannon Wilson (Vice President of Population Health & Health Equity at Priority Health)
• Cyndi Tiedt (Collections Manager of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery at Ferris State University)

The diversity panel is set to begin at 3:00pm on Sunday, August 13. Registration is required and is available on the GRPM's website. Overcoming Hateful Things: Stories from the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery will be open at the GRPM through Sept. 13.

Additionally, the GRPM has announced that it will be partnering with the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association (GRAAA) to host an event for members of the community to watch the Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 12 and Aug. 13. This overnight event will take place on the grounds of the James C. Veen Observatory in Lowell, Michigan. According to the Museum's press release:

"Telescopes will be directed to deep sky objects such as nebulae and clusters during evening hours, and the planets Jupiter and Saturn after midnight. Guidance will be readily available throughout the night, courtesy of specialists from the GRAAA and the Museum's Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium."

The event will run from 9:00pm on Saturday, August 12 to 4:30am on Sunday, August 13. Tickets are available on the GRAAA's website ($2 for minors, $5 for adults over the age of 18, free for members of the GRPM and GRAAA). Attendees are welcome to bring sleeping bags, picnic baskets, and blankets. For more information, visit the GRAAA's website.   

Community Invited to Attend Three-Part Outdoor Performance by the Grand Rapids Ballet at Millennium Park

The Grand Rapids Ballet (GRB) has announced that, on Aug. 5, it will be partnering with Trail.Club to put on a three-part outdoor performance at Millennium Park. The event will begin at the Millennium Boat House at 10:00am, 11:00am, and 12:00pm. According to the GRB's website, these free performances will take place along the Hansen Nature Trail, providing attendees with a unique and immersive experience:

"As the dancers move through the trails and trees, you'll feel like you're part of the performance. With the beauty of nature surrounding you, you can walk alongside the dancers and experience this performance from a perspective like never before."

The Grand Rapids Ballet is looking forward to this very special event. James Sofranko, the Grand Rapids Ballet's Artistic Director, stated that:

"We are excited to bring this unique, one-of-a-kind performance to Millennium Park and the people of West Michigan. Ballet is a living and breathing art form, which this community event aims to capture. We hope those who are able will come out to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors in a new and engaging way."

More information about this event can be found on the Grand Rapids Ballet's website.

Also in the News:

• The Grand Rapids Hispanic Festival (hosted by the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan) will be taking place in downtown Grand Rapids this weekend. The festivities will begin on Friday, August 4 and continue through Sunday, August 6. For more information, click here.

• On Thursday, the Kent County Prosecutor's Office announced that there has been an update in the People v. Christopher Schurr case. The Michigan Court of Appeals, as a result of the defense request for leave to appeal being granted, will hear oral arguments at 10:00am on Wednesday, September 6. However, a decision may not be made immediately. 

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