Published by

Must-Do Summer Activities

School Smarts

Summer 2015

SW Michigan’s

Our Guide to Picking a School

Plus: Crafts, Recipes & Advice

From Local Experts

• 2 • Jan/Feb 2015

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Hope Starts Here

from the EditorGrowing up, summertime meant one thing

for me: coming to Michigan. Every year, my

mom packed up my brother and I (in shipping

crates — it was really quite cruel, actually) and

we flew to her hometown of Montague, Mich.

For anyone who’s never been there, Mon-

tague is a stunningly beautiful coastal town

with sprawling farmland, a cute little downtown

(that when I was young still had an operational

soda fountain) and the type of small town rival-

ry between its neighbor, Whitehall, you usually

only see an primetime television — oh, and the

world’s tallest weathervane!

My grandfather built a cute blue house back

in the woods off a country road. It had a ham-

mock, vegetable and flower gardens, hot tub, woodworking shop, pool table, ran-

dom jars of candy throughout the house, an operational, old-time gas pump and

my cooler-than-school bartending college-age uncle who lived in the basement.

As far as grandparents’ houses go, it was pretty much the best.

That house was a less than five-minute drive from my aunt’s house, which to this

day is still the most lovely home I have ever seen — an old cottage added onto over

the years with every inch custom-crafted. It sits on a lot of land with a pond, a gor-

geous flower garden, a fountain and all sorts of sculptures created by my aunt and

cousin, two amazing artists, scattered all over the place — back in the woods, in the

garden, on the tool shed. There’s a path in the garden that leads down a wooded

ravine and out to Lake Michigan. Just talking about it makes me want to go there

right now — in fact, I might do just that.

Because for the last few years, I’ve been able to steal a piece of summer all year

long; I’ve lived everyday in a place that used to be mythical to me as a child —

western Michigan. The lakes, woods, flowers — the way people talk to each other.

As I get ready to move back to Denver at the end of the month, right when you’re

gearing up to enjoy the reasons you live here, I know I’ll

miss it. Everyone has their special summer place, and this

will always be mine.

Tiffany FitzgeraldEditor

fyiswmichigan.com • 3 •

• 4 • Summer 2015

Publisherencore publications, inc.

Editortiffany fitzgerald

Contributing Editormarie lee

Graphic Designeralexis stubelt

Contributorsren briggs, brian lam, melissa lam, jef otte

Advertising Salesceleste statlerkrieg lee

Distrubutionkama mitchell

FYI is published 6 times a year by Encore Publi-cations, Inc. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. Editorial, circulation and advertising correspon-dence should be sent to Encore Publications, 117 Cedar St. Suite A, Kalamazoo MI, 49007. Phone: 269 383-4433. General email correspondence to publisher@encorekalamazoo.com

FYI is distributed free of charge at locations throughout Southwest Michigan; home deliv-ery subscription rate is $18 per year. Advertising rates and specifications at fyiswmichigan.com or by request.

FYI does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors; arti-cles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect FYI’s opinions or those of the FYI staff.

To learn more about us visit fyiswmichigan.com

Published by

Must-Do Summer Activities

School Smarts

Summer 2015

SW Michigan’s

Our Guide to Picking a School

Plus: Crafts, Recipes & Advice

From Local Experts

Ren started working in a camp kitchen at the age of 11 scrubbing pots and then moved up to cook-ing. She graduated from Grand Rap-ids Community College’s Secchia School of Culinary Arts and worked at Alpen Rose, Via Maria, deBoer Bakery in Holland and co-opened Second Floor Bakery making upscale pastries, desserts and cakes. Ren ad-mits she likes “to tweak recipes.“

“I like to make recipes that taste awesome. I want my family to be wowed! Why eat mediocre food?”

Brian is a seasonal contributor to FYI who has emerged from his cave after a five-month hibernation to bring us the Last Laugh. When not shielding himself from Michigan’s long, cruel winters and writing humor columns, he spends his summers growling menacingly, smacking salmon out of local streams and getting his head stuck in honey jars.

For our Family Man columnist Jef Otte, summer is a time to tan aggres-sively. Nevertheless, Jef will appear pasty until around Labor Day, when he will again put on a shirt and not take it off until the next May, when he will be pasty again.

Melissa, our Creation Station God-dess, says her favorite thing about summer is heading out to Lake Mich-igan, spending the day on the beach playing in the sand with her daughter Sienna and then watching the sun go down with her husband and a glass of wine. Ahhhh…we should all be Melissa.

Bria

n La

m

Mel

issa

Lam

Jef

Otte

Ren

Brig

gs

About the cover: Local fiction authors Thisbe Nissen and Jay Nicorvo snuggle their son Sonne Niscorvosen at their Battle Creek farm.

Photo by Erik Holladay

Who is this lovely family? See below.

fyiswmichigan.com • 5 •

S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

School SmartsPublic? Private? Charter? Now’s the time many parents are thinking about picking schools for their kids. Really. Our simple guide helps make sense of the options in Kalamazoo County.

Super Summer Suggestions24 great ways to get out, get cool and get away.

FEATURE

In Every Issue

Ac tivities

PARENT TO PARENT14

22

3 From the Editor

4 Our Contributors

6 Fun for Free Family-friendly fun for no charge!

8 Make This! Layer on the love in these easy,

breezy parfaits.

9 Everyday Hacks Take the sting out of summer with

these outdoor hacks.

10 Creation Station Rocks and paint can make for a lot

of fun and games.

12 Is This Normal? Why is my tween dressing like

this? Why is my daughter getting so many bad headaches? You ask, experts answer.

30 Family Man Ever been “momdescended?”

This stay-at-home dad has and it isn’t fun.

38 Last Laugh Summer. It only took a year to get

here.

32 Family Events A full slate of fun!

• 6 • Summer 2015

Have you ever wanted to watch a terrifying dinosaur flick in a park at night? This is a perfect chance! Scare your t(w)eens while reminding them that good movies were made when you were young too by taking in Juras-sic Park, the first flick of the new season of Movie in the Park at the South Westnedge Park, brought to you by the City of Kalamazoo Department of Parks and Recreation. Bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Date: May 29, 9 pm

Place: South Westnedge Park, 1101 S. Westnedge Ave.

Ages: Tweens and Teens (movie rated PG-13)

More info: 337-8191

Get out of the heat (please, let there be heat this summer) and check out the Kalamazoo Val-ley Museum’s Evidence Found, an exhibit explor-ing Southwest Michi-gan’s “backyard” archae-ology projects, from the greater Kalamazoo area

to Niles’ historic Fort St. Joseph dig. Learn how the real science and methodology of archaeology compares with popular culture’s image of Indiana Jones.

Date: Through August 30, during open museum hours

Place: Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 230 N. Rose St.

Ages: All

More info: 373-7990

As if making things out of glass us-ing fire wasn’t exciting enough, the West Michigan Glass Art Center’s Battle of the Glassblowers introduces a whole new level of spectatorship for the family.

Described as a “high-stakes, glass sporting event promis[ing] jaw drop-ping moments of excitement,” the battle features glassblowers and flameworkers who compete to create the best in designated categories like a pulled pony or an art piece, and for the love of attendees, who get to vote for People’s Choice awards.

Date: May 1, 5 - 10 pm; May 2, noon - 6 pm

Place: West Michigan Glass Art Cen-ter, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave.

Ages: All ages

More info: 552-9802

Fun For Free FYI

Hot Time: Battle of the Glassblowers

Evidence Found: Explorations in Archaeology

Movie in the Park — Jurassic Park

• 7 • Summer 2015

Experience the Culture

165 W. Centre Ave. Portage269-366-4877

The area’s best…Frozen Yogurt, Gelato, Custard, Sorbet, Italian Ice & Gelati

Y’OPA

America’s oldest family-owned natural foods market. Providing the largest & most complete selection of natural foods & supplements in SW Michigan.

2965 Oakland Dr. Kalamazoo 269-343-3619www.sawallhf.com

M-S 8-9, Sun 10-6

Sawall Health Foods

Three Locations in Kalamazoo/Portagewww.mackenziesbakery.com

Family-owned, full service bakery specializing in Authentic Artisan Breads

MacKenzies’ Cafe & Bakery

Social ART Working!

1924 Whites Road Kalamazoo269-343-5670www.happyourart.com

• Private Parties • Children’s Birthdays • Corporate Team

Building • Bachelorette Parties

Happy Our Art

4610 West Main Street Kalamazoonaturalhealthfoodcenter.com

Kalamazoo’s family owned natural food market. Helping people feel better since 1971.

Natural Health Center

Serving our community since 1903

SW Michigan’s Magazine

9660 Shaver Rd. Portage269-323-8310romencegardencenter.com

Digital edition at www.encorekalamazoo.com

You’ll find everything you need for a perfect lawn & garden from our 10- acre nursery stocked with hundreds of trees, shrubs, perennials & annuals, plus all the supplies & expert advice you need for success!

Celebrating the great things, great people and good works of SW Michigan.

Romence

Encore

Gardens Inc.

fyiswmichigan.com • 7 •

Scrumptious parfaits for breakfast, brunch or dessert Layers of Love

Make this! FYI

by REN BRIGGS

Dessert parfait

Ingredients• 1/2 gallon Hudsonville Natural Vanilla Bean Ice Cream• 1 box yellow cake mix, baked per directions and

cooled• 1 box triple chocolate cake mix, baked per directions

and cooled• 1 16-ounce container of whipped topping• Fresh fruit of your choice• Sprinkles

How to• Add the ingredients in layers, alternating between

cake, ice cream and fruit• Put sprinkles on the top• Serve immediately or freeze

• 8 • Summer 2015

Who doesn’t love a parfait? That’s right — no one, because they are one of the most delicious creations on the planet.

With yogurt, granola and fruit, parfaits serve as a delicious breakfast or brunch option or an indulgent, yet healthier dessert option.

Spring and summer are great time to make parfaits, be-cause Michigan-grown fruit is plentiful as is local creamery yogurt and

ice cream. Be sure to check out your local farmers’ market or farms for fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. You could even take a family trip to Traverse City for the Cherry Festival July 4-11 and get fresh cherries.

Add some Good Life Granola from Holland, Hud-sonville ice cream or Mediterranean-style yogurt from Mattawan Creamery and you’ve got locally sourced

lusciousness all the way around. When building a parfait, the sky’s the

limit. Build them small, as a special delec-table after-dinner treat for one, or larger as a centerpiece for a brunch to feed a crowd. Not worried about your figure? (Hey, we think you look great!) Then go all out with triple chocolate cake, fruit and ice cream for a creamy summer dessert.

Best of all (like you need one more good reason, right?), parfaits are fun and easy to make with kids of any age.

Breakfast or brunch parfait

Ingredients• 1 quart strawberry yogurt (use Greek for more protein)• 1 quart vanilla yogurt• 1 8-ounce bag of raspberry granola (substitute any

non-sugary cereal you prefer, i.e. Rice Krispies, Cher-rios, etc.)

• Fresh fruit of your choice

How to• Add the ingredients in layers, alternating between

yogurt, cereal and fruit• Serve immediately

fyiswmichigan.com • 9 •fyiswmichigan.com • 9 •

The great Michigan outdoors is a many splendored thing and the last two winters have taught this much: there isn’t one mo-ment of weather that isn’t spitting freezing rain in your face whilst sucking your happi-ness into a grey abyss to lose.

But as we know, summer isn’t misery-free. Sunburns, bug bites, poison ivy and beach-going mishaps are the price of summer admission, so here’s some ways to fight back.

Everyday Hacks FYI

Outdoor Hacks

Ease the burn

Most sunburn hacks on Pinterest require rubbing ran-dom foods al l over your body. Um, no thanks. The last

thing any Michigander needs is to be scrubbing dried oatmeal off a sunburn or to walk outside

smelling like honey or another sweet, bug-at-tracting scent. Here’s an easy, ingenious hack that requires nothing but aloe vera.

1. Pour aloe vera into an ice cube tray

2. Freeze overnight

3. Apply aloe ice cubes to burned skin

4. Ahhhh...

Know your poison

You would think there’d be an easy way to iden-tify poison ivy and poison oak, but it turns out that out in the field, its hard to judge. Poison varieties are often shinier (but not al-ways), can range between light green to red in color and can sometimes look much like other plant varieties. The best hack for identifying poison ivy and poison oak is to commit these two images to memory and never, ever eat a white berry.

Mosquito-repelling plants

As with most mosquito-repelling hacks, such as putting a dryer sheet in your pocket to drive away the little devils, nobody wants to be the guinea pig. Why get eaten up with a sheet of Bounce in your pocket when you could spray yourself with so much DEET you glow and can walk away relatively untouched? But there is one hack that allows you to ease into the process of cutting back on DEET slowly — planting naturally mosquito-repelling vegetation on your porch or in backyard social areas to reduce mosquitoes. Try these varieties:

• Lemongrass• Catnip• Cascading geranium• Horsemint• Lemon Balm

Beach safe

Our parents taught us well: Never trust your valuables in any situation, especially one as improbable as a thief hiking across sand and digging through a gritty bag of mashed-up animal crackers and suntan lotion to steal them.

To protect your valuables while swimming, this hack is genius. Not only because hiding your wallet and car keys in what appears to be a dirty diaper is hilarious and prob-ably frighteningly successful at deterring thieves, but the diapers also protect the goods from sand and sun. Put your valuables in a plastic sandwich bag first, and presto! Waterproofed. Even if a would-be thief suspected your trick, what kind of person would want to check?

• 10 • Summer 2015

Painted Rock Games

Creation station FYI

Spring has sprung, summer is here, school is out and it’s a great time to spend quality outdoor adventure time with our children. Simple and engaging, arts and crafts opportunities can be found right in your backyard or on a fun nature walk. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on supplies or be a full-time hobbyist to shared creative moments with your child. For this “create your own game” activity all you need is rocks and paint. It’s a great activity for children of ages 2-6.

Here’s How to Do It: Materials needed: • Acrylic paint

• Paint brushes (you can use fingers too, but clean up isn’t as easy)

• Small rocks

With your child, search for rocks about an inch to two inches in length and width. None in your yard? Take a nature walk, searching along trails or by rivers and lakes. You can also pick up small rocks at home and garden stores.

by MELISSA LAM

Directions:Depending on the game you want to create with

your child, there are a number of designs you can paint on your rocks.

Tic-Tac-ToeFeeling artistic? Instead of Xs and Os, paint lady-

bugs and bumblebees. You’ll need at least five of each. Create a tic-tac-toe board by crisscrossing two sets of small sticks.

fyiswmichigan.com • 11 •

Painted Rock Games

MemoryUse flat rocks for this game. Create rock pairs: paint

two rocks with red dots, two with blue, two with green, etc. until you have six or seven pairs of rocks. Turn the rocks over so the paint side is down and mix the rocks up. You and your child can take turns searching for the pairs by flipping two rocks over at a time. If the two you flip aren’t a pair, turn them back over and switch turns.

Feeling creative? Instead of colored dots, try pairs of bugs (as with Tic-Tac-Toe), or letters, faces and numbers.

DominoesAgain, flat rocks work best for this game. Create the classic

dot-matching game by painting a stripe down the middle of each rock and painting different dot values on either side of the line. With your child, take turns matching dot values, end to end.

Create Your Own Painted Rock IdeasIf your child is 2-3-years-old, the simple act of finding

and painting rocks may be all you need to enjoy an afternoon together. Older children may enjoy creat-ing special hopscotch rocks, pet rocks, wish rocks and more.

Is this normal? FYI

You Ask, Experts Answer

As parents and caregivers, we are expected to know all the answers and the perfect way to react to every-thing children can throw at us. But alas, since the meth-od making everyone exactly the same has yet to be perfected, every child presents his or her unique developmental conundrums.

Thankfully, local psychological and pediatric experts agreed to take on your questions and provide some much-wanted guid-ance. In this issue, they answer queries about adolescent fashion and hygiene exploration and afternoon head-aches.

(If you have burning questions for our experts, please send them to editor@fyiswmichigan.com.)

Q: My eleven-year-old step-son showed up to stay the summer with us sporting winter gloves and wearing his cheek-length hair brushed over his eyes. Right now, we only see him every two months, and he wasn’t dressing or doing his hair like this before. It’s 90 de-grees outside and he can’t see what he’s doing. Is this normal? Should we leave it alone or say something?

— Parent in Kalamazoo

This behavior sounds like a blossoming adolescent trying to create his own identity. Fashion and style are of-ten avenues of self-expression and identity experimen-tation. These topics commonly become a point of con-flict between adolescents and parents. Take comfort that much like their moods, this age group’s fashion sense and interests tend to change abruptly and often without notice or warning.

We advise that you handle this subject with care and caution. Before having a discussion with your teen, it may be helpful to take part in some self-reflection with a trip down memory lane to remember how you may

have responded to an adult questioning you about your wardrobe at that age. It would also prove to be benefi-cial to understand why his appearance is upsetting or concerning to you. If after self-reflection you continue to find it necessary to address his change in appearance, we recommend finding common ground by showing genu-ine interest opposed to judgment or disapproval. This approach may prevent a misunderstanding, and has the potential to blossom into a genuine conversation about his budding individuality.

• 12 • Summer 2015

fyiswmichigan.com • 13 •

Call

Bette Today

Simplify Your Life

This situation may become more than a fashion state-ment if you suspect he may be hiding evidence of self harm or he is wearing an abundance of clothes due to poor body image or self esteem. If you suspect, or if your

son reports his choice in clothing or hairstyle is due to one of those reasons, mental health counseling may be beneficial.

— Nichole Holliday MA, LLPC, LLMFT, Private Practice at Child and Family Psychological

Services Portage and Alyssa Noonan LLMSW, Private Practice at Child and Family Psychological Services Ka-lamazoo.

Q: My 11-year-old daughter has been getting bad headaches almost

every afternoon for the last four or five months. The headaches are sometimes

so severe she has to take a break from what she’s doing to rest. The headaches seem to be worse

when she’s at school. She hasn’t started menstruating yet, so it’s not PMS-related. We heard bad headaches

might be normal for this age group. Is that true?

Preteens may develop headaches from not eating, drinking or sleeping adequately. Afternoon headaches at school can be caused by academic or social struggles, lighting and eye strain and even odors, as well. Have your child evaluated by her physician if the headaches increase in frequency or severity. If your child has diffi-culty speaking or remembering things, shows changes in personality, experiences vision problems, weakness or fainting, contact a doctor right away.

— Rose Roth-Bowersock CPNP, Bronson Lakeview Pediatrics

269.321.8120 | lvmcapital.com

Regular personal contact allows LVM to anticipate client needs and provide the best possible advice—regardless of your season in life. Our clients know that their LVM Team is always available to them.

• 14 • Summer 2015

School

No decision may be more angst-ridden for a parent than choosing the schools where their child will spend the next 12 years of his or her life.

And because school choices have changed dramatically since they were children, parents often find understanding all the options can be a cumbersome and daunting undertaking.

SmartsOur School Smarts guide helps make sense

of it all. We list the schools available in Kalama-zoo County serving kindergarten through 12th grade and explain what a charter school is, how Schools of Choice works and some of the ad-vantages of private and public schools.

Just a little something to help make these school decisions little less angsty.

Picking a School in Kalamazoo County

fyiswmichigan.com • 15 •

The Schools of Choice law enacted 18 years ago in the state of Michigan allows parents to enroll their children in public schools outside of their district assignment or in any school within their district assignment — as opposed to relegating that a student must attend their neighborhood pub-lic school option.

There are a number of reasons why parents might choose to move their children from one district to another — from proximity to employment or day care to wanting a different school environment than their district offers.

Parents can also choose to have their child attend a different school within their own district, again for a variety of reasons.

Regarding Schools of Choice, here are important points:

• Schools of Choice may be used to enroll in both public and charter schools.

• In Kalamazoo County, you must be released from your district in order to move your child to a new one. You must apply for release from your assigned district; if that is granted, then the approved re-lease is sent to the district of your choice within the county.

• To choose a different school within your district than the one assigned to you, open enroll in the school of your choice by the deadlines determined by that school. Start this process early — there are wait-ing lists at some schools.

• Students who live outside of the Kalamazoo Public School dis-trict cannot enroll in KPS through Schools of Choice and be eligible for the Kalamazoo Promise.

• If you choose to go to another dis-trict or school within your district, you will most likely have to pro-vide your own transportation to and from school.

What is School of Choice?

Public Schools

Comstock Community Schools3010 Gull Rd., Kalamazoo 269.250.8900, comstockps.orgGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 2,030 This district has 3 elementary, 1 mid-dle and 2 high schools. Comstock started a STEM academy in 2013 that serves kindergarten through 8th grade.

Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools 1076 N. 37th St., Galesburg 269.484.2000, g-aschools.orgGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 1,061This district has 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.Gull Lake Community Schools11775 East D Ave., Richland 269.488.5000, gulllakecs.orgGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 3,265This district has 3 elementary, 1 middle and 2 high schools. Gull Lake offers a Home School Partner-ship and virtual middle school and high school programs.

Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center (KAMSC)600 West Vine St., Suite 400, Kalamazoo 269.337.0004, kamsconline.comGrades: 9–12 Enrollment: 300KAMSC provides a half-day, accel-erated program in mathematics, science and technology to selected high school students in Kalamazoo County. Admission is competitive.

Kalamazoo Public Schools 1220 Howard St., Kalamazoo 269.337.0100 kalamazoopublicschools.comGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 12,595The county’s largest school district with 17 elementary, 5 middle and 4 high schools. The district offers the Kalamazoo Promise, which is free in-state college tuition.

Mattawan Consolidated Schools56720 Murray St., Mattawan 269.668.3361, mattawanschools.orgGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 3,813This district has 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.

Parchment Public Schools520 N. Orient St., Parchment 269.488.1050, parchmentschools.orgGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 1,679This district has 3 elementary, 1 middle and 2 high schools.

Portage Public Schools8107 Mustang Dr., Portage 269.323.5000, portageps.orgGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 8,686This district has 8 elementary, 3 middle and 3 high schools. Portage Public Schools offers the Interna-tional Baccalaureate program in high school.

Schoolcraft Public Schools551 East Lyons St., Schoolcraft 269.488.7390, schoolcraftschools.orgGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 1,090This district has 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.

Vicksburg Community Schools301 S. Kalamazoo Ave., Vicksburg 269.321.1000, vicksburgcommuni-tyschools.orgGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 2,673Vicksburg Schools has 3 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.

Charter Schools

Evergreen Academy2121 Hudson Ave., Kalamazoo 269.488.6324, oneamazingclass.org/evergreen-academyGrades: K–6 Enrollment: 54With an emphasis on core academ-ics, this school is managed by the Foundation for Behavioral Resources (FBR) in Augusta and authorized by Grand Valley State University.

Get great jobs

Get better grades

Live successfully

Go to college

Get the Power of PEEP Pre-Kindergartenand Reach

The results are in…Children who attend a high qualityPre-Kindergarten do better in schooland life because they:

Call KPS (PEEP)at 337-0095

Apply NOW for next school year if yourchild turns four years old by Dec. 1, 2015.

fyiswmichigan.com • 17 •

Get great jobs

Get better grades

Live successfully

Go to college

Get the Power of PEEP Pre-Kindergartenand Reach

The results are in…Children who attend a high qualityPre-Kindergarten do better in schooland life because they:

Call KPS (PEEP)at 337-0095

Apply NOW for next school year if yourchild turns four years old by Dec. 1, 2015.

Forest Academy5196 Comstock Ave., Kalamazoo 269.488.2315 oneamazingclass.org/forest-academyGrades: K–6 Enrollment: 172With an emphasis on core academ-ics, this school is managed by FBR and authorized by GVSU.

Great Lakes Exploration Academy6200 West KL Ave., Kalamazoo 844.292.4532, gleacademy.org.Grades: K–5 Enrollment: Not availableOpening in Fall 2015 with an environ-mental and outdoor emphasis, this school is authorized by Ferris State University.

Oakland Academy6325 Oakland Dr., Portage 269.324.8951, oneamazingclass.org/oakland-academyGrades: K–6 Enrollment: 225 With an emphasis on core academ-ics, this school is managed by FBR and authorized by GVSU.

The term “charter school” is most often used to denote a public charter school, which is a publicly funded, privately run educational institution offering an alternative to traditional public and private schools.

Like public schools, charter schools are funded by tax dollars and are subject to performance reviews every three to five years. Created in 1992 under a law that allowed them to receive public funding, charter schools are open to the public.

How is a charter school different than a public school? To start, anyone can establish a charter school — a community group, parents, a business, etc. Char-ter schools must be approved by state-sanctioned entities, says the National Education Association. Second, charter schools have more flexibility in their curriculum and don’t have to adhere to strict state mandates, calendars or ob-jectives, other than the performance testing (such as M-STEP). Charter schools were created with the intention of establishing more educational choices for families, says the NEA. Enrollment in charter schools is limited, like private school, and charter schools usually take new students via a lottery system.

Locally, there are five charter schools which offer different emphases. It’s important to note that while they are considered “public,” charter schools in Kalamazoo are not part of the Kalamazoo Promise.

What is a Charter School?

Paramount Charter Academy3624 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo 269.553.6400 paramountcharteracademy.orgGrades: K–8 Enrollment: 491 With an emphasis on student re-sponsibility, this school is managed by National Heritage Academies and authorized by Bay Mills Community College.

Private Schools

Gagie School615 Fairview Ave., Kalamazoo 269.342.8008, gagieschool.comGrades: PreK–8 Enrollment: 130 PreK, 228 K-8A for-profit, independent school with a 39-year history.

Greta Berman Arbetter Kazoo School1401 Cherry St., Kalamazoo 269.345.3239, kazooschool.orgGrades: PreK–8 Enrollment: 100 A nonprofit, independent school since 1972 and accredited by Inde-pendent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS).

Hackett Catholic Prep 1000 West Kilgore Rd., Kalamazoo 269.381.2646, hackettcc.orgGrades: 9–12 Enrollment: 271 A nonprofit high school offering a college prep curriculum and affiliat-ed with the Roman Catholic Church.

Heritage Christian Academy6312 Quail Run Drive, Kalamazoo269.372.1400, hcaeagles.orgGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 232A nonprofit school emhasizing com-munity service and accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International.

Kalamazoo Christian School Association 2121 Stadium Dr., Kalamazoo 269. 381.2044, kcsa.orgThis nonprofit offers Christian faith-based education at its three schools:

• Kalamazoo Christian Elementary School, 3800 S. 12th St., Kalama-zoo, 269.544.2332 Grades: PreK–4 Enrollment: 329 K–4, 122 PreK

• Kalamazoo Christian Middle School, 3800 S. 12th St., Kalama-zoo, 269.544.2332 Grades: 5–8 Enrollment: 223

• Kalamazoo Christian High School, 2121 Stadium Dr., Kalama-zoo, 269.381.2250 Grades: 9–12 Enrollment: 240

Kalamazoo Country Day4221 E. Milham Ave., Portage, 269.329.0116 kalamazoocountryday.orgGrades: PreK–8 Enrollment: 170A nonprofit, independent school emphasizing technology, math, sci-ence and liberal arts and accredited by ISACS.

• 18 • Summer 2015

CurrentlyEnrolling for Preschool,

Kindergarten,a Lifetime

of Learning, and Friendship.

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Will you be ready for Back to School?

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• 20 • Summer 2015

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Creativity. Curiosity. Confidence.

One choice parents face is whether to select a pub-lic school or a private school for their children. Finan-cial aid and scholarships at many private schools have made them an option for more families, but when try-ing to discern which choice is better, the answer can be fairly complicated.

At a single glance, Michigan private schools outper-form public schools in core testing proficiency rates, according to the 2014 Michigan Merit Exam data. But, as MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette reporter Julie Mack points out in a July 2014 article, a drawback to looking at raw data is that you don’t always get the full picture.

In that article, WMU education professor Gary Miron said while private schools appear to do better on test scores, if the data is adjusted for socioeconomic factors, the advantage disappears. In 2011, only nine private school students in the state of Michigan were consid-ered “economically disadvantaged,” compared to 39 percent of students in public schools. There’s no good way to compare the two using statistics because too many outlying factors exist.

Not to say there aren’t advantages to private schools. A University of Michigan study found private schools tend to engage students in more physical activity and provide healthier snacks and meals and a more well-rounded education. Private schools have more flexibility in hiring teachers and those teachers have more free-dom to pick curriculum. In addition, private schools pro-vide environments in which more parents are involved and there are more supports outside the home.

Public schools have advantages as well, according to the same U of M study. Some studies suggest pub-lic school students perform better in college, receiv-ing higher grades. One study found that public school students are more motivated to succeed in college be-cause a college education is seen as a privilege and not an expectation.

Students from lower socioeconomic strata are also likely to be treated with less difference in public schools, says the U of M study. A comparison of a public and a private school in Detroit found that the public school did not discern between students based on economic status, but children on scholarship at the private school were notably pointed out in their classrooms and school environment.

When it comes down to comparing private and public schools, many researchers cite The Coleman Report, a 1966 study that has been backed up in more than 50 studies since. The report finds that the school a child at-tends isn’t as important as the type of home environ-ment that child has — household income, education of parents, neighborhood and social circles. When focus-ing on educational success, says this study, it can be bet-ter to look outside of school rather than in it.

Public or Private? Kalamazoo Junior Academy1601 Nichols Rd., Kalamazoo, 269.342.8943 kalamazoojunioracademy.comGrades: K–10 Enrollment: DNP*A nonprofit school affiliated with the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

The Montessori School750 Howard St., Kalamazoo 6274 N. 32nd St., Richland269.349.3248, themontessorischool.orgGrades: PreK–6 Enrollment: 158 A nonprofit school emphasizing the educational philoso-phies of Maria Montessori with PreK–6 at its Kalamazoo school and preschool and kindergarten at its Richland facilty.

Prairie Baptist School11210 East PQ Ave., Scotts 269.626.8101, prairiebaptistchurch.orgGrades: PreK–12 Enrollment: 26A nonprofit Baptist school and member of the Michigan Association of Christian Schools.

fyiswmichigan.com • 21 •

* DNP: Did not provide Public and Charter school enrollment as of Oct. 17, 2014. Source: Kalamazoo GazettePrivate school enrollment as of March 17, 2015. Source: Schools

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Providence Christian School 100 Pratt Road, Kalamazoo 269.385.4889 michiganchristianschools.comGrades: K–9 Enrollment: 61 A nonprofit, faith-based Christian school.

Reformed Heritage Christian School 700 N. Fletcher, Kalamazoo 269.383.0505, refhcs.orgGrades: K–12 Enrollment: DNP*A nonprofit, faith-based Christian school.

St. Augustine Cathedral School600 West Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo 269.349.1945, stakzoo.orgGrades: PK–8 Enrollment: 298 K–8, 41 PreKA nonprofit school affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

St. Michael Lutheran School7211 Oakland Dr., Portage 269.327.0512, stmikeschool.orgGrades: PreK–8 Enrollment: 200A nonprofit school affiliated with the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church.

St. Monica Catholic School530 West Kilgore Rd., Kalamazoo 269.345.2444, stmonicakzoo.orgGrades: PreK–8 Enrollment: 299 K–8, 34 PreKA nonprofit school affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

Vineyard Academy8510 M-89, Richland 269.629.7253, vineyardacademy.orgGrades: PreK–10 Enrollment: DNP*A nonprofit, faith-based school oper-ated by lay Catholics.

Home School

The Kalamazoo area has a strong homeschooling community. In addi-tion to the Home School partnership at Gull Lake Community Schools, there are organizations that provide information, networking and support for homeschool families.

Kalamazoo Area Home School Association kahsaconnection.comThis secular organization provides information and contacts for home-schooling families.Homeschool Kalamazoofacebook.com/homeschoolkalamazooA network providing information and resources for homeschoolers in the Kalamazoo area.

This School Smarts information is researched and compiled by Encore Publications staff. While every reasonable effort was made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, Encore assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Information contained here is subject to change without notice.

Summer isn’t summer unless you’re having fun. The only thing sadder than a bored child on summer break is a child’s parent or caregiver who has run out of ideas for things to do.

Lucky for us, the greater Kalamazoo area is replete with plenty o’ summer fun!

Here are some of our favorite go-to ideas for whiling away summer days that are all about getting wet, getting out of the heat and getting into nature.

And if you STILL run out ideas, check out our exhaus-tive list of summer events starting on page 32.

• 22 • Summer 2015

community pool area offers swim lessons, Baby and Me classes, family fun classes and open swim options. The aesthetically-striking pool space includes a shallow play pool with mosaic tile for little swimmers. Location: 1560 M-40 North, Allegan Cost: Pre-K & younger $1; K-12 students, adults $3; se-niors $2; family pass $10Hours: Open swim 7–8:30 pm Fri; noon–2 pm Sat; family swim classes and Baby and Me swim classes available via registration (call for details)Contact: 673-7002 ext. 5504

Flash Flood Water Park A great summer day trip for family and friends, Flash Flood Water Park offers two 200-foot outdoor water slides, two 200-foot indoor water slides, zero depth entry pools, a water playground, trampoline, inflatable jungle and slide, basketball and volleyball courts, concessions and Water Wars. Location: 35 Hamblin Ave., Battle Creek Cost: General admission (both water parks) $9 a person; Superblast admission (both water parks, attractions and Water Wars) $12; children under 2 free; family and sum-mer packs available and special discount admissions at certain times/daysHours: 10 am–7 pm most days; check website as hours vary by weather, season and demandContact: 966-3667

Nicholas Kik PoolKik Pool is a part of Upjohn Park, an 18-acre spread fea-turing an all-access playground, volleyball, tennis, softball and soccer courts and picnic areas. With a 50-meter out-door swimming pool, Kik Pool offers an affordable cool-off alternative.Location: Upjohn Park, 1018 Walter St., KalamazooCost: $3 child; $6 adultHours: Call for hoursContact: 337-8191

24 Ideas for Glorious Southwest Michigan Days

Get WetSummer in Michigan means getting wet, of course — but don’t go jumping in the Kalamazoo River just yet (just kidding; no hate mail, please). Here are some local swim-ming options, free and paid, indoor and out (sans oil cleanup and bacterial contamination):

Allegan Aquatic CenterThe Allegan Aquatic Center doubles as a community pool center and a competitive swimming and diving training space for Allegan High School. The center is divided to accommodate the two areas at the same time and the

fyiswmichigan.com • 23 •

Ramona Park on Long LakeOne of the draws of Ramona Park is its beach staffed with lifeguards who watch over the whole family while they’re enjoying Long Lake Beach. Aside from swimming and fishing, Ramona Park has multiple play structures, pavil-ions, picnic tables, soccer, football and baseball fields, grills and restrooms, making it a great all-day destination.Location: 8600 S. Sprinkle Road, PortageCost: $5 per vehicle for Portage residents; $10 per vehicle for non-residentsHours: 8 am–dusk, May 1–Oct 31; beach open 10:30 am–7:30 pm May 28–Sept. 5Contact: 329-4522

River Oaks County Park Splash PadAn addition to River Oaks County Park in 2014, the splash pad offers in-ground and above-ground water spray play and fun for ages 2-12. The 330 acres surrounding the splash pad area include Morrow Lake, a playground, pic-nic shelters, hiking trails, soccer and volleyball fields, and 100-year-old oak trees. Location: 9202 E. Michigan Ave., GalesburgCost: Included in park admission ($5 per vehicle)Hours: 10 am–8 pm, Memorial Day–Labor DayContact: 383-8778

Silver Beach County Park, St. Joseph A fun family day trip, Silver Beach in St. Joseph offers Lake Michigan beach access, volleyball, picnic areas and play-grounds. Silver Beach also has a large splash area with seating and in-ground water spouts, concession stands and an old-style carousel. Location: 101 Broad St., St. JosephCost: $6 per vehicle for Berrien County residents; $8 per vehicle for non-residentsHours: 5 am–sunset dailyContact: 982-0533

South Beach, South HavenA summer in Southwest Michigan without a trip to South

Haven is no summer at all. A short jaunt down M-43 and you can enjoy swimming, walk-

ing the pier, viewing the historic light-house, and take in the playground,

skate park and historical memori-als surrounding the beach. If you don’t mind lugging your beach toys, parking up the hill from the beach will save you money.

And every trip to the beach deserves some well-earned fudge, so stop by downtown South Haven on your way out of town. Location: Water Street, South HavenCost: Free (there is a cost for parking in South Beach lot)Hours: 8 am–10 pm all yearContact: 637-0772

Get CoolSometimes we just can’t with a summer day. It’s too hot, too humid, too muggy, too buggy. Those are the days we seek air conditioning and here are some great places to find it:

Air Zoo

Explore space and air flight exhibits and ride amusement park-style rides, full motion flight simulators and 3-D/4-D theater programs at Air Zoo, a multi-sensory aviation museum. Air Zoo offers exhibits exploring bi-plane rides, space exploration, the history of Guadalcanal and the he-roes of Michigan aviation as well as hand-painted avia-tion murals. Check website for more information on the museum’s revolving exhibits, like the current DaVinci ex-hibit. Location: 6151 Portage Road, PortageCost: $10 general admission; $2 individual ride tickets; $29 year-long unlimited rides pass Hours: 9 am–5 pm Mon–Sat; noon–5 pm Sun Contact: 382-6555; AirZoo.org

• 24 • Summer 2015

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BouncelandAn indoor inflatable bounce castle/structure arena, Bounceland offers a reprieve from the heat whilst wearing out kids for nap/bed time. Bounceland provides jumping and climbing activities for toddlers to tweens and admis-sion includes access to all structures. Socks are required for everyone; check website for discounted toddler times and events. Location: 6255 Technology Ave., KalamazooCost: Children under 2, $4; children over 2, $8; one non-playing, supervising adult free; additional non-playing adults $2; playing adults $5Hours: 10 am–8 pm Tues–Thurs; 10 am–9 pm Fri; 10 am–6 pm Sat; 11 am–6 pm Sun; closed Mondays during the school yearContact: 353-0940; Bounceland.com

Alamo Drafthouse Baby DaysHaving an infant in tow can really limit your options — you want to get out of the house but the baby is too little to play or engage in many local kid-friendly options. Alamo Drafthouse has an answer: Baby Day. Movies showing be-fore 2 p.m. on Tuesdays are designated for new parents and parents of infants. The movies are for adults and are shown with the lights up a little and the sound down a bit, so as not to disrupt your hopefully sleeping infant. Infant not snoozing? Fine by the Alamo — this is a non-judging movie-going space. Location: 180 Portage St., KalamazooCost: Cost of admission for movie-going adult: $6.75Hours: Shows before 2 pm Tues, except on holidays or during special festivals (check site for showtimes and list-ings)Contact: Drafthouse.com/Kalamazoo

Local LibrariesSome of the best options for families, caregivers and grandparents looking for activities on those too-hot days are local libraries. From toddler reading times to tween anime clubs and teen advisory groups, local libraries offer

free, enriching and entertain-ing activities every day. For detailed listings, by day and week, check FYI’s calendar on page 32 — we list events host-ed at the public libraries in Ka-lamazoo, Portage, Comstock, Parchment and Richland.

Location: For locations, see page 32Cost: FreeHours: For event times, see FYI’s calendar on page 32Contact: See page 32

Jungle JoesWhen kids start running in circles or jumping off your couch, it’s time to take them somewhere where it’s okay to literally be jumping off the walls. Jungle Joes offers several jungle-themed jump castles, arena games and in-flatable slides and structures. There’s something for tod-dlers to tweens with an open, soft-padded floor area that provides a safe space for bouncing. (Socks required for everyone.)Location: 7255 S. Sprinkle Road, PortageCost: 1.5 hours $8 per person; 2.5 hours $10 per person; toddlers (under 23 months) $2; adults with children $3Hours: 9 am–8pm Mon–Thurs; 9 am–9 pm Fri; 9 am–8 pm Sat; noon–6 pm SunContact: 324-1992; JungleJoesFFC.com

Kalamazoo Valley Museum

One of area’s not-so-hidden gems is the Kalamazoo Val-ley Museum, operated by Kalamazoo Valley Community College. The 60,000-square-foot museum offers cultural, historical and scientific literacy development for children of all ages via special exhibits, planetarium programs, educational programs and weekend family events. Ad-mission and exhibits are free; some programs and plan-etarium shows cost $3 a person. Check FYI’s calendar on page 32 for ongoing, weekly and daily museum events. Location: 230 N. Rose St., KalamazooCost: Free admission; $3 for planetarium showsHours: 9 am-5 pm Mon–Thurs & Sat; 9 am–9 pm Fri; 1–5 pm SunContact: 373-7990; KalamazooMuseum.org

• 26 • Summer 2015

May 16 - 17 Black Powder Days Living Reenactments

May 23 - 25 Free Admission Supporting Michigan Businesses

June 6 - 7 Pirate Adventure for the Family Live Entertainment

June 19 - 21 Experience Steampunk Style Unique Artisans

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Antique European Pottery“Kalamazoo Direct to You” History Gallery

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Sky Zone Trampoline Park When it’s too hot for children to run outside, Sky Zone has an alternative — an indoor trampoline park. Sky Zone has open jump, dodgeball, the foam zone (a fly and flip trampoline runway that dumps into a pit filled with 10,000 foam cubes), a slam-dunking basketball launch pad and fitness and aerobics classes. Check schedule for age-appropriate events, from toddler time to Sky Jam (teens only). Location: 5103 Portage Road, KalamazooCost: $10 for 30 minutes; $14 for 60 minutes, $18 for 90 minutes, $21 for 120 minutes (all jumpers must purchase $1 pair of Sky Socks)Hours: 4 pm–8 pm Tues–Thurs; 3 pm–8 pm Fri; 10 am–8:30 pm Sat; noon–6 pm Sun; toddler time 10 am–noon Tues & Fri; Sky Jam (age 14 and up) 8:30–10 pm SatContact: 459-9243; SkyZone.com/Kalamazoo

Ice skating @ Wings Event CenterOne-up the heat by getting on ice. Wings Events Center offers public skate times throughout the summer, afford-ing you the opportunity to feel cool without having to re-live a Michigan winter. Open skate is available to kids and caregivers of all ages. Public skate times tend to change, so check their website for schedule.Location: 3600 Vanrick Drive, KalamazooCost: Age 4 & under, free; $6 over age 4; $3 skate rentals

Hours: Open skate available everyday, call for schedule, Contact: 345-1125; WingsStadium.com/p/Recreation/Skating/223 (public skate times)

Get OutdoorsWoods, lakes, rivers marshes. There is absolutely no ex-cuse for not experiencing Michigan’s abundant nature. With trails, trails and more trails, there are too many local options to pass up.

Asylum Lake PreserveThe Asylum Lake Preserve is a 274-acre sprawl of trails, woods and pond vegetation surrounding Asylum Lake. Aside from being preserved as a recreation area, the property, which is owned by Western Michigan University, is also a research site for WMU professors and students studying healthy local ecology and invasive species. Dogs are allowed on the trails, if leashed. Location: 3836 S. Drake Road, KalamazooCost: FreeHours: Dawn–duskContact: 387-8557

fyiswmichigan.com • 27 •

Binder Park ZooPierce Cedar Creek Institute TrailsA nature center, environmental education center and bi-ological field station, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute offers seven miles of hiking trails exploring its 661 acres of rural woods. The institute also has educational programs, art ex-hibits and a clock collection on display at its visitor center. Check the website for educational and family program-ming.Location: 701 W. Cloverdale Road, HastingsCost: FreeHours: 9 am–5 pm Mon–Fri; Sat & Sun programs only (check website)Contact: 721-4190; CedarCreekInsititute.org

Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary and Zoological GardensStarted as a safe haven for reptiles and amphibians need-ing homes, Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary has hands-on and up-close experiences to observe and learn about a variety of species. Visitors can participate in feeding ani-mals, educational programming and special events.Location: 1698 M-66, AthensCost: Age 3 & up, $7; age 2 & under or active military with ID, free; immediate family members of military members, $1Hours: 10 am–6 pm dailyContact: 729-4802

Explore 433 acres of 32 exotic animal and 19 domestic animal exhibits at Binder Park Zoo. Located near Battle Creek, Binder Park Zoo is one of the largest zoos in Michi-gan and features a variety of animals and plants, a Wild Africa exhibit, a train, a tram, a carousel, a Wildlife Discov-ery Theatre and an award-winning children’s zoo where kids can feed goats, llamas, sheep and other domestic animals. (Kids can feed giraffes at the Africa exhibit.)Location: 7400 Division Drive, Battle CreekCost: Children 2-10, $11.50; adults, $13.50; seniors (65 and up), $12.50Hours: 9 am–4:30 pm Mon–FriContact: 979-1351

• 28 • Summer 2015

Kalamazoo Nature CenterEngage with local ecology at the Kalam-azoo Nature Center, which has more than 14 miles of hiking trails and an interpre-tive center including a birds of prey and rainforest exhibit. The center offers educa-tional programming exploring everything from monarch migra-tion to citizen science. For event listings,

check FYI’s events calendar on page 32 or visit the Nature Center’s website.Location: 7000 N. Westnedge Ave., KalamazooCost: Adults $7; children & students $4; children under 3 free; members freeHours: 9 am–5 pm Mon–Sat; 1–5 pm SunContact: 381-1574; NatureCenter.org

The Olde World VillageWant something semi-educational that combines his-tory and fun? Take in one of the special events this summer at The Olde World Village. The venue offers special events and pseudo-historical festivals in a fair type atmosphere on 35 acres. Events include May’d in Michigan (Memorial Day weekend), Buccaneer Bash (June 6 & 7), the Steam Dream Expo (June 19-21) and the BlackRock Medieval Festival (on weekends from July 11-Aug. 2). Check website for times and prices.Location: 13215 M-96, AugustaCost: Age 13 and older, $10; children 12 and under free; discounts for military veterans and their depen-dents, public safety officers and seniorsHours: Vary by event, check website for infoContact: 580-1290, oldeworldvillage.com

KL Avenue Nature PreserveFor an off-the-beaten-path experience, go to KL Av-enue Nature Preserve, a 70-acre parcel in Oshtemo Township. This preserve offers rolling hills, valleys, beautiful local shrubs and trees, bird activity and wooded areas for exploring.Location: KL Avenue, 1,000 feet east of 4th Street, KalamazooCost: FreeHours: Dawn–duskContact: 324-1600

Strawberry picking @ Mandigo FarmsA favorite pastime of Michigan summers, berry pick-ing is a delicious and fun way to get outdoors. Man-digo Farms, opened in 1955, offers strawberry picking in the first few weeks of June (season times vary — call ahead to be sure there are plenty of berries before you go). Mandigo has picnic tables with umbrellas and 3 Mile Lake, a block away, offers public swimming. Location: 61077 41st St., Paw Paw Cost: Pay per weight for strawberries picked Hours: 8 am–5 pm daily, first few weeks of June Contact: 657-4481

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Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery, which produces a variety of fish spe-cies for the Great Lakes and connected inland waters, has exhibits, tours, hiking trails, a bird-viewing platform and hands-on activities for kids. A visit to the hatchery is appropriate for all ages and allows kids the opportunity to engage in local nature and ecology. Location: 34270 County Road 652, MattawanCost: FreeHours: Before Memorial Day: 10 am–4 pm Tues-Sat; noon–4pm Sun; Summer hours (Memorial Day–Labor Day): 10 am–6 pm Mon-Sat; noon–6 pm SunContact: 668-2876

• 30 • Summer 2015

I’ve Been ’Momdescended’

Family Man FYI

by JEF OTTE

I was at a gas station buying a Yoo-hoo and a family-size bag of Skittles the first time I got what I’ll call “momde-scended.”

I had just jogged around a small lake — a good way to get outside and maybe get my son, who was then about 6 months old, to take a nap in the stroller. I figured I owed it to myself to re-up on the energy I’d just burned with a fast-acting pile of sugar that I planned to eat in the car while sweating profusely and listening to Bruce Springs-teen, which is my go-to jams when I’m sweating.

My son was snoozing, strapped into his car seat, and I set him on the counter while I rummaged for money in my fanny pack, for I am an American and I do not exercise

unless I’m dressed in a fashion that announces to the world “I am exercising.”

The clerk cooed over the babe while she rang me up. “Aw,” she said, “is Mommy at work today?”

I didn’t plan to be a stay-at-home dad. I had a respect-able job, respectable enough to get a couple of weeks’ leave after my son’s birth — and when I came back I was laid off. What could I do? I rode the fun-employment train to graduate school. In the meantime, though, I became a full-time parent, which meant packing an infant in the car seat and hauling him everywhere with me while I killed time be-tween feedings.

“No,” I said. “She’s dead.”

fyiswmichigan.com • 31 •

I didn’t really say that. Actually, I mumbled assent and the clerk beamed and said “aw” again as if this informa-tion touched her deeply. Driving home, however, I came up with all sorts of retorts, and even a family portion of Skittles couldn’t ease the queasy feeling of having been patronized — or, perhaps I should say, matronized.

I realize women don’t have it easy in this world. Men can be condescending, licentious, creepy, threatening and outright hostile. Women endure lower pay and rou-tine harassment in contexts men just don’t have to ever deal with, plus they have to gestate babies and bleed out their genitals once a month. That’s rough and I sympa-thize. And maybe, in light of persistent, systemic gender inequality, I don’t have any right to complain.

But ladies, hear me out.A couple of weeks after the Yoo-hoo incident, I went to

a play area for infants that I’d read about on the Internet and stood around with a group of women watching our babies gurgle and fart and try to flip themselves over. Oc-casionally one baby would whimper and be soothed.

“My doctor says I should start introducing solid foods,” one woman said to another, “but I’m nervous. What if she chokes?”

My ears perked; I’d recently started working some rice cereal into the diet of my son, and he loved it so much he’d gained significant weight, which pleased me, be-cause one of my favorite things in the world is a fat baby. Perhaps these women would be interested to know of my experience! Plus being alone with an infant all day filled me with a desperate need for adult interaction, and I would take what I could get, so, what the hell, I leaned over and threw in my two cents. “I mean, just look at him,” I concluded, gesturing to my adorable son. “Fat as a but-ton.”

The women regarded me as if what had come out of my mouth had been not language, but rather something like a wad of chewed newsprint, maybe, or a swarm of gnats. The second woman turned to the first. “I know what you mean,” she said, as if nothing had happened. “I’m nervous about it, too.”

Now, I can’t demand conversation from strangers — actually, I don’t really care for being talked to by randos

myself. But this particular context seemed to encourage friendly, low-key interaction between people stuck in a particular place for a common purpose, and if I misinter-preted that, then okay. These women had the right not to talk to me.

But I suspect a different dynamic at play: mommy snob-bery. Deep down, these women rejected my perspec-tive on caring for infants because I don’t have the proper equipment to breastfeed them, and to that I say Ladies! Breast-pumps exist! Furthermore, it’s the same tired ste-reotypes which drive wage inequality that foster the idea that a man can’t raise children full-time with the same competence and care a woman can: that men belong at work, and women belong at home. I don’t buy that. Men should try not having jobs more often — it’s pretty great.

And my son? He’s still alive, so in your face, mommies.

fontanamusic.org269.382.7774

Crybaby ConcertsThese FREE mini-concerts held at 11 AM on

Saturday mornings allow children under the

age of five and their families to enjoy a 45-minute

performance of beautiful music in an open and

flexible environment—even if your little one feels

like crying! There is room to move and plenty of

space for stroller parking. Nutritious, kid-friendly

snacks are provided after each performance.

April 18 KPL Central Branch

May 16 Bronson Gilmore Center

for Health Education

I’ve Been ’Momdescended’

• 32 • Summer 2015

ONGOING

May 15-23, Anne of Green Gables, a mu-sical adaptation of a feisty, red-haired or-phan, 7:30 pm May 15 & 22, 1 pm May 16 & 23, 4 pm May 16, 2 pm May 17, 9:30 am & 12 pm May 20 & 21, Parish Theatre, 426 S Park St, 343-1313, kalamazooarts.org, all ages, $7Thru June 19, Wildest Weather in the So-lar System, explore atmospheres on other planets, magnetic storms on the sun & an-ticyclones, 3 pm Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun, Kalamazoo Valley Museum Planetarium, kalamazoomuseum.org, all ages, $3Thru June 19, Secret of the Cardboard Rocket, a story of two children who build a cardboard rocket to explore space, 11 am Mon-Fri, 1 pm Sat, 2 pm Sun, Kalamazoo Valley Museum Planetarium, kalamazoo-museum.org, all ages, $3

June 6–July 19, The Way We Worked, Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit, children’s activities, movies, geocaching, tours, 10 am-5 pm, Plainwell Paper Mill, 211 N Main St, 685-6821, museumonmainstreet.org, all ages, FREEJuly 8-12, The Ballad of Jessica James, Kindleberger Summer Festival of the Per-forming Arts youth play, 5:30 pm July 8, 10, & 11; 3:30 pm July 12 & 13, Kindleberger Park, 650 S Riverview Dr, Parchment, kindle-berger.org, all ages, outdoors, bring blan-ket or chair, FREEJuly 6-25, Superhero LEGO Display, see amazing LEGO creations by Western Michigan LEGO Train Club, regular library hours, Portage Library, portagelibrary.info, all ages, FREE

July 8-12, Oklahoma! Kindleberger Sum-mer Festival of the Performing Arts family musical, 7 pm July 8, 10, & 11; 5 pm July 12 & 13, Kindleberger Park, 650 S Riverview Dr, Parchment, kindleberger.org, all ages, outdoors, bring blanket or chair, FREEJuly 17-25, Mary Poppins, a musical ad-venture of everyone’s favorite nanny, 7:30 pm July 17, 18, 24, & 25; 2 pm July 19, Comstock Community Auditorium, 2107 N 26th St, 348-SHOW, kalamazooarts.org, all ages, $12, $10 studentThru Aug 30, Evidence Found, hands-on exploration of modern archeology, 9 am-5 pm Mon-Sat, 1-5 pm Sun, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, kalamazoomuseum.org, all ages, FREE

• 32 • Summer 2015

WHERE IS?Comstock Library — Comstock Township Library, 6130 King High-way, 345-0136 KIA — Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S Park St, 349-7775Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N Westnedge Ave, 381-1574KPL-Alma Powell — Kalamazoo Public Library-Alma Powell, 1000 W Paterson Ave, 553-7960KPL-Central — Kalamazoo Public Library-Central, 315 S Rose St, 342-9827KPL-Eastwood — Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood, 1112 Gayle Ave, 553-7810KPL-Oshtemo — Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo, 7265 W Main St, 553-7980KPL-Washington Square — Kalamazoo Public Library-Wash-ington Square, 1244 Portage Rd, 553-7970Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 230 N Rose St, 373-7990Parchment Library — Parchment Community Library, 401 South Riv-erview Drive, 343-7747Portage Library — Portage District Library, 300 Library Lane, 329-4544Richland Library — 8951 Park St, Richland, 629-9085

MondaysStorytime Fun, story, coloring & special treat, 10:30 am, Barnes & Noble, 6134 S Westnedge, barnesandnoble.com, FREETuesdaysBaby & Toddler Storytime, books, finger-plays & creative movement, 10 am, Portage Library, portagelibrary.info, ages 0-23 mo, FREE (June-July only)Toddler Time @Sky Zone, trampoline park, 10 am-12 pm, Sky Zone, 5103 Por-tage Rd, 459-9243, skyzone.com/kalama-zoo, ages 0-5, contact for costOpen Jump @Sky Zone, trampoline park, times vary, Sky Zone, 459-9243, skyzone.com/kalamazoo, all ages, $10/30 min; $14/60 minWednesdaysToddler Talk, toddlers play, adults share with a parent educator, 10:15 am, KPL-Oshtemo, kpl.gov, ages 1-3, FREEWednesday Wigglers, books, singing & swinging, 10:15-10:30 am & 11-11:30 am, Richland Library, richlandlibrary.org, ages 0-3, FREEBaby Talk, talk about infant care with Con-nie Koning, RN, 1:30 pm, KPL-Oshtemo, kpl.gov, ages 0-12 mo, FREEFamily Storytime, stories & activities, 10:30 am, KPL-Alma Powell, kpl.gov, ages 0-5, FREEOpen Jump @Sky Zone, trampoline park, times vary, Sky Zone, 459-9243, skyzone.com/kalamazoo, all ages, $10/30 min; $14/60 min

WEEKLYThursdaysFamily Storytime, stories & activities, 10:30 am, KPL-Oshtemo & KPL Eastwood, kpl.gov, ages 0-5, FREEStorytime Fun, story, coloring & special treat, 10:30 am, Barnes & Noble, 6134 S Westnedge, barnesandnoble.com, FREEOpen Jump @Sky Zone, trampoline park, times vary, Sky Zone, 459-9243, skyzone.com/kalamazoo, all ages, $10/30 min; $14/60 minFridaysFamily Storytime, stories & activities, 10:30 am, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, ages 0-5, FREEToddler Time @Sky Zone, trampoline park, 10 am-12 pm, Sky Zone, 459-9243, skyzone.com/kalamazoo, ages 0-5, contact for costOpen Jump @Sky Zone, trampoline park, times vary, Sky Zone, 459-9243, skyzone.com/kalamazoo, all ages, $10/30 min; $14/60 minSaturdaysBenJammin Educational Music with Ben-Jammin & Analisa, move, play & sing, learn about health, safety, respect & science, 10 am, Old Dog Tavern, 402 E Kalamazoo Ave, 267-1812, BenJammin.biz, all ages, FREEOpen Jump @Sky Zone, trampoline park, times vary, Sky Zone, 459-9243, skyzone.com/kalamazoo, all ages, $10/30 min; $14/60 minSundaysOpen Jump @Sky Zone, trampoline park, times vary, Sky Zone, 459-9243, skyzone.com/kalamazoo, all ages, $10/30 min; $14/60 min

fyiswmichigan.com • 33 •

MAYMay 1Kalamazoo Marathon & Borgess Run for the Health of It!, Meijer Kids Fun Run & Motivational Mile, Borgess Nazareth Cam-pus, 345-1913, thekalamazoomarathon.com, all ages, outdoors, cost variesWillie’s Auto Shop Grand Opening, new interactive exhibit with car-themed activi-ties, 10 am-4 pm, Kids ‘n’ Stuff Children’s Museum, 301 S Superior St, Albion, (517) 629-8023, kidsnstuff.org, ages 1-7, $6.50, under 1 freeKalamazoo Rock, Gem, Fossil & Mineral Show, pan for gold, crack open a geode, other activities, 4-8 pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 979-3348, kalamazooco.com, all ages, $3 adult, 12 & under & scouts in uniform freeArt Hop, art at locations around Kalama-zoo, 5-8 pm, kalamazooarts.org, all ages, outdoors, FREEBattle of the Glassblowers & Flame-Off, glassblowers & flameworkers transform hot molten glass into art, 5-9 pm, West Michigan Glass Art Center, 326 W Kalama-zoo Ave, 552-9802, wmglass.org, all ages, FREEBeauty & the Beast, Home School Per-forming Arts presents Disney’s musical of a French fairy tale, 7 pm, Comstock Audi-torium, 2107 N 26th St, (855) 472-1472, hpami.org, all ages, $8 Saturday, May 2Spring Wildflower Hikes, 1.5 mile hike to Little Grand Canyon, 9-11 am & 11 am-1 pm, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, 701 W Cloverdale Rd, Hastings, cedarcreekinsti-tute.org, all ages, outdoors, $3 members, $6 non-membersWillie’s Auto Shop Grand Opening, new interactive exhibit with car-themed activi-ties, 10 am-4 pm, Kids ‘n’ Stuff Children’s Museum, 301 S Superior St, Albion, (517) 629-8023, kidsnstuff.org, ages 1-7, $6.50, under 1 freeKalamazoo Rock, Gem, Fossil & Mineral Show, pan for gold, crack open a geode, other activities, 10 am-6 pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 979-3348, kalama-zooco.com, all ages, $3 adult, 12 & under & Scouts in uniform freeLEGO @ the Library, build, race & imag-ine, 10:30 am, KPL-Oshtemo, kpl.gov, all ages, FREEFamily Fishing Clinic, learn the basics of fishing, 11 am-1 pm, Spring Valley Park, 2600 Mt. Olivet, 337-8191, kalamazoocity.org, all ages, outdoors, FREEBattle of the Glassblowers & Flame-Off, glassblowers & flameworkers transform hot molten glass into art, 12-5 pm, West Michigan Glass Art Center, 326 W Kalama-zoo Ave, 552-9802, wmglass.org, all ages, FREE

Beauty & the Beast, Home School Per-forming Arts presents Disney’s musical of a French fairy tale, 1 pm & 7 pm, Comstock Auditorium, 2107 N 26th St, (855) 472-1472, hpami.org, all ages, $8 Kalamazoo River Valley Trail Spring Wildflower Walk, learn about native spring wildflowers, 2 pm, Commerce Lane (behind the post office), Parchment, ka-lamazooaudubon.org, all ages, outdoors, FREEFirst Saturday @ KPL, stories, activities & door prizes, 2 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, all ages, FREESunday, May 3Kalamazoo Marathon & Borgess Run for the Health of It!, full & half marathon, 10K & 5K run & 5K walk, times vary, Borgess Nazareth Campus, 345-1913, thekalama-zoomarathon.com, all ages, outdoors, cost variesKalamazoo Rock, Gem, Fossil & Mineral Show, pan for gold, crack open a geode, other activities, 10 am-5 pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 979-3348, kalama-zooco.com, all ages, $3 adult, 12 & under & scouts in uniform freeMass of the Children, Kalamazoo Sing-ers & Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus, 3 pm, First United Methodist Church, 373-1769, kalamazoosingers.org, all ages, $15 adult ($18 at door), $5 studentMonday, May 4Tinker Tots—Bubbles, explore playing with bubbles, 10:30 am, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, ages 1-4, FREEAnime Club, food, fun & Anime, 4:30 pm, Parchment Library, parchmentlibrary.org, teens, FREE Tuesday, May 5Toddler Tales Storytime, songs, rhymes, movement & a story, 10:15-10:45 am, Parchment Library, parchmentlibrary.org, ages 2-3, FREEPreschool Story Time, enjoy a book & a craft, 1-1:45 pm, Richland Library, richland-library.org, ages 3-5, FREEWednesday, May 6Baby & Me, fun for you & your baby, 11:15-11:35 am, Parchment Library, parch-mentlibrary.org, ages 6-23 mo, FREEJewelry Making with Meg Tang, learn to make unique jewelry (registration re-quired), 4:30 pm, KPL-Alma Powell, kpl.gov, grades 5-12, FREEStop Motion Animation, use apps to create a stop motion film (registration re-quired), 4:30 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, grades 3-5, FREEThursday, May 7Teen LEGO Club, build with LEGOs, 4 pm, Portage Library, portagelibrary.info, teens, FREE

National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day Carnival, celebrate chil-dren’s mental health, 4-7 pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 979-3348, kalcounty.com/parks, all ages, FREE Glass Arts, fuse glass with experts from West Michigan Glass Arts (registration re-quired), 4:30 pm, KPL-Washington Square, kpl.gov, grades 5-12, FREE53rd Annual Michigan Youth Arts Fes-tival, Michigan’s best young artists show-case their talents in visual & performing arts, times vary, Western Michigan Univer-sity, 545-9200, michiganyoutharts.org/fes-tival, all ages, FREE Friday, May 8Flywheelers Farm History Day, learn about farm life in the 1900s through hands-on displays, 9 am-2 pm, Michigan Flywheelers Museum, South Haven, michi-ganflywheelers.org, all ages, outdoors, fregister by email michiganflywheelers@yahoo.com, FREEPreschool Story Time, enjoy a book & a craft, 10:15-11 am, Richland Library, rich-landlibrary.org, ages 3-5, FREE 53rd Annual Michigan Youth Arts Fes-tival, Michigan’s best young artists show-case their talents in visual & performing arts, times vary, Western Michigan Univer-sity, 545-9200, michiganyoutharts.org/fes-tival, all ages, FREESaturday, May 9Bird House Workshop, assemble a red ce-dar bird house (pre-registration required), 10-11:30 am, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, 701 W Cloverdale Rd, Hastings, cedar-creekinstitute.org, all ages, outdoors, $15 members, $20 non-membersTouch-A-Truck, see & touch unique vehi-cles, learn from those who serve & protect out community, 10 am-2 pm, Kalamazoo Co. Expo Center, 2900 Lake St, 815-0034, kalcounty.com/parks, all ages, outdoors, $10 family, $4 adults, $2 children, 10 am-noon siren free zoneKSO Carnival of the Animals, KSO Brass Quintet, instrument petting zoo, craft, 10:30 am & 12:30 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, all ages, FREE ticket requiredDrop-in Mother’s Day Crafts, choose 3 crafts to make for mom, 10:30 am-3 pm, Comstock Library, comstocklibrary.org, all ages, FREEArt Detectives: The Dog Did It, art-fo-cused event with story and activity, 11:15 am, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 585-9291, kiarts.org, FREE 53rd Annual Michigan Youth Arts Fes-tival, Michigan’s best young artists show-case their talents in visual & performing arts, times vary, Western Michigan Univer-sity, 545-9200, michiganyoutharts.org/fes-tival, all ages, FREE

• 34 • Summer 2015• 34 • Summer 2015

Monday, May 11Little Scientists: Shadows, explore shadows through sto-ries & activities (registration re-quired), 10:30 am, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, ages 3-6, FREE Just Move Playdate, a tot-friendly obstacle course for free play, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, Just Move Fitness, 626 Romence Road, Ste 104, justmove.com, FREETuesday, May 12Toddler Tales Storytime, songs, rhymes, movement & a story, 10:15-10:45 am, Parch-ment Library, parchmentlibrary.org, ages 2-3, FREE Preschool Story Time, enjoy a book & a craft, 1-1:45 pm, Rich-land Library, richlandlibrary.org, ages 3-5, FREEWednesday, May 13“Drive in” Movie, decorate a cardboard box “car,” enjoy a short film & snack (registration required), 10:30 am, KPL-Alma Powell, kpl.gov, ages 3-6, FREEBaby & Me, fun for you & your baby, 11:15-11:35 am, Parch-ment Library, parchmentlibrary.org, ages 6-23 mo, FREE Thursday, May 14LEGO @ the Library, build, race & imagine, 10:30 am, KPL-Eastwood, kpl.gov, all ages, FREEYoga Storytime, stories paired with yoga poses (registration required), 10:30 am, KPL-Wash-ington Square, kpl.gov, ages 3-6, FREEKalamazoo Spring Carnival, 50 thrilling family-friendly & children’s rides, 4-9 pm, Wings Event Center parking lot, wingsstadium.com, all ages, outdoors, $17/dayTeen Origami Sun Catcher, make an origami suncatcher (registration required), 6-8 pm, Parchment Library, parch-mentlibrary.org, ages 11-18, $2 supply feeTeen Advisory Group Meet-ing, books, crafts, ideas & pizza, 6:30 pm, Portage Library, por-tagelibrary.info, teens, FREEFriday, May 15Preschool Story Time, enjoy a book & craft, 10:15-11 am, Richland Library, richlandli-brary.org, ages 3-5, FREE Kalamazoo Spring Carni-val, 50 thrilling family-friendly & children’s rides, 4-11 pm,

Wings Event Center parking lot, wingsstadium.com, all ages, outdoors, $17/daySaturday, May 16Farm Wellness Day 5K, 5K trail run/walk, kids’ fun run & obstacle course (registration required), 9 am-1 pm, Lake Vil-lage Homestead, 7943 S 25th St, farmwellnessday5k.org, all ages, outdoors, $30 Family Bike Fest, families, kids, adults & the community celebrate bikes, 10 am-1 pm, Mayors Riverfront Park, kalam-azoobikeweek.com, all ages, outdoors, FREE Family Fishing Fair, fishing, kayaking, boating safety, prizes, 10 am-1 pm, Ramona Park, 329-4522, portagemi.gov, all ages, outdoors, 150 kids receive free fishing rod, FREEKalamazoo Reptile & Exotic Animal Show, reptiles, am-phibians & exotic pets, 10 am-3 pm, Kalamazoo Co. Expo Cen-ter, 2900 Lake St, 779-9851, kal-county.com/parks, all ages, $4 adult, $2 children, under 6 free, $15 family maxFrontier Days, reenactments from 1780-1870, vendors, live entertainment, 10 am-6 pm, Olde World Village, 13215 M 96, Augusta, 580-1290, face-book.com/FrontierDaysMI, all ages, outdoors, $10, 12 & un-der freeLEGO @ the Library, build, race & imagine, 10:30 am, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, all ages, FREE Crybaby Concert, 45-minute concert for children, 11 am, Bronson Gilmore Center for Health Education, 7 Healthcare Plaza, 382-7774, kalamazoo-arts.org, ages 0-5, FREE Kalamazoo Spring Carni-val, 50 thrilling family-friendly & children’s rides, 4-11 pm, Wings Event Center parking lot, wingsstadium.com, all ages, outdoors, $17/daySunday, May 17Frontier Days, reenactments from 1780-1870, vendors, en-tertainment, 10 am-6 pm, Olde World Village, 13215 M 96, Augusta, 580-1290, facebook.com/FrontierDaysMI, all ages, outdoors, $10, 12 & under freeKids R.O.A.R.—Rogue Ob-stacle Adventure Race, in-teractive adventure race (reg-istration required), 12-2 pm, Sherman Lake YMCA, Augusta, 731-3000, shermanatortri.org/

kidsroar2014, ages 8-14, out-doors, $15 pre-registration, $20 on siteKalamazoo Spring Carni-val, 50 thrilling family-friendly & children’s rides, 4-11 pm, Wings Event Center parking lot, wingsstadium.com, all ages, outdoors, $17/dayMonday, May 18J-Pop Club, latest media & food from Japan, 3:30 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, teens, FREE Tuesday, May 19Preschool Story Time, enjoy a book & a craft, 1-1:45 pm, Rich-land Library, richlandlibrary.org, ages 3-5, FREE Teen Game Club, video, board & card games, 4 pm, Portage Library, portagelibrary.info, teens, FREELEGO @ the Library, join oth-ers & build with LEGOs, 6:30 pm, KPL-Washington Square, kpl.gov, all ages, FREEWednesday, May 20Light Painting, use a digital camera to create a light paint-ing (registration required), 4:30 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, grades 3-5, FREEThursday, May 21West Michigan Apple Blos-som Cluster Dog Show, AKC Dog show featuring obedience trials & rally trials, 9 am-5 pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Cen-ter, midogshows.com, $5 per vehicle; $20 5-day passJewelry Making with Meg Tang, learn to make unique jewelry (registration required), 4:30 pm, KPL-Eastwood, kpl.gov, grades 5-12, FREEFriday, May 22West Michigan Apple Blos-som Cluster Dog Show, AKC Dog show featuring obedience trials & rally trials, 9 am-5 pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Cen-ter, midogshows.com, $5 per vehicle; $20 5-day passPreschool Story Time, enjoy a book & a craft, 10:15-11 am, Richland Library, richlandli-brary.org, ages 3-5, FREE Saturday, May 23West Michigan Apple Blos-som Cluster Dog Show, AKC Dog show featuring obedience trials & rally trials, 9 am-5 pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Cen-ter, midogshows.com, $5 per vehicle; $20 5-day pass

May’d in Michigan, Michigan artisans, entertainment, ven-dors & food, 10 am-6 pm, Olde World Village, 13215 M 96, Au-gusta, 580-1290, all ages, out-doors, FREESunday, May 24West Michigan Apple Blos-som Cluster Dog Show, AKC Dog show featuring obedience trials & rally trials, 9 am-5 pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Cen-ter, midogshows.com, $5 per vehicle; $20 5-day passMay’d in Michigan, Michigan artisans, entertainment, ven-dors & food, 10 am-6 pm, Olde World Village, 13215 M 96, Au-gusta, 580-1290, all ages, out-doors, FREEMonday, May 25West Michigan Apple Blos-som Cluster Dog Show, AKC Dog show featuring obedience trials & rally trials, 9 am-5 pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Cen-ter, midogshows.com, $5 per vehicle; $20 5-day passMay’d in Michigan, Michigan artisans, entertainment, ven-dors & food, 10 am-6 pm, Olde World Village, 13215 M 96, Au-gusta, 580-1290, all ages, out-doors, FREEMusical Storytime, songs, sto-ries & special guests, 6:30 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, all ages, FREETuesday, May 26West Michigan Apple Blos-som Cluster Dog Show, AKC Dog show featuring obedience trials & rally trials, 9 am-5 pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Cen-ter, midogshows.com, $5 per vehicle; $20 5-day passWednesday, May 27Party in the Park, story hour, book for each child, healthy snacks & costumed characters, 10 am, Bronson Park, kpl.gov, ages 0-5, free, RSVP 553-7873

LEGO @ the Library, build, race & imagine, 4:30 pm, KPL-Alma Powell, kpl.gov, all ages, FREEThursday, May 28Bookworms, book club for kids & their grown up, read-ing Flora and Ulysses, 4:30 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, ages 6-11, FREE

fyiswmichigan.com • 35 •

Friday, May 29Kalamazoo Growlers vs. Bat-tle Creek Bombers, opening night, fireworks & giveaways, 7 pm, Homer Stryker Field, 492-9966, growlersbaseball.com, all ages, outdoors, $8-26 Movies in the Park, Jurassic Park, 9 pm, South Westnedge Park, 1101 S Westnedge Ave, 337-8191, kalamazoocity.org, all ages, outdoors, FREESunday, May 31Circus Pages, circus stars, ex-otic animals & daredevils, 1 pm & 4 pm, Kalamazoo Co. Expo Center, circuspages.com, all ages, $15 adults, 14 & under free

JUNEThursday, June 4Dionysys Greek Festival, Greek food, music & dance, special children’s activities,11 am-4 pm, Arcadia Festival Place, outdoors, FREE

Teen LEGO Club, build with LEGOs, 4 pm, Portage Library, portagelibrary.info, teens, FREE Friday, June 5Art on the Mall, artisans dis-play & sell work, 12–9 pm, Ka-lamazoo Mall, downtownka-lamazoo.org, outdoors, FREE Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Art Fair, nearly 180 artists, mu-sic & food, 1-8 pm, Bronson Park, outdoors, FREE Art Hop, art at locations around Kalamazoo, 5-8 pm, kalama-zooarts.org, all ages, outdoors, FREE Dionysys Greek Festival, Greek food, music & dance, special children’s activities. 11 am-4 pm, Arcadia Festival Place, outdoors, FREEJump into Summer, Dooley Noted & Red Sea Pedestrians perform, 6 pm, Kalamazoo Val-ley Museum, FREESaturday, June 6Art on the Mall, artisans dis-play & sell work, 9 am-5 pm, Kalamazoo Mall, downtownka-lamazoo.org, outdoors, FREE Kalamazoo Arts Institute Art Fair, nearly 180 artists, music & food, 1-8 pm, Bronson Park, outdoors, FREE Buccaneer Bash, live entertain-ment, vendors, food, 10 am-6 pm, Olde World Village, 13215 M 96, Augusta, 580-1290, all

Funding provided by

APR 18 - The Odyssey ofRunyon Jones

May 2 - Little Red Riding Hood

May 16 - The Importance of Being Earnest

May 30 - The Bickersons

All Ears Theatre performs newly scripted radio programs for live audiences, complete with old school sound effects, from

January through May. Shows are later broadcast on 102.1 WMUK-FM. Performances are at 6:00 pm at the First Baptist Church and are FREE to the public.

For a complete schedule of shows, visit Kalamazooarts.org

Free Upcoming Shows

ages, outdoors, $10 adults, 12 & under freeLEGO @ the Library, build, race & imagine, 10:30 am, KPL-Oshtemo, kpl.gov, all ages, FREEDrop-in Father’s Day Craft, choose 3 crafts to make for dad, 10:30 am-3 pm, Comstock Library, comstocklibrary.org, all ages, FREE DoDah Parade, fun floats & whimsical costumes, 11 am, downtown Kalamazoo, down-townkalamazoo.org, all ages, outdoors, FREEGaming & Animation Festival, see stop motion creations us-ing claymation & LEGOs, 12-4 pm, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, FREE First Saturday @ KPL, stories, activities & door prizes, 2 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, all ages, FREESunday, June 7Buccaneer Bash, live entertain-ment, vendors, food, 10 am-6 pm, Olde World Village, 13215 M 96, Augusta, 580-1290, all ages, outdoors, $10 adults, 12 & under freeThursday, June 11Kids @ Custer Triathalon, lin-ear swim course, paved bike course, paved trail & grass run (registration required), 6:30-8:30 pm, Ft. Custer State Rec-reation Area, 978-2437, kid-satcuster.com, two courses for ages 6-9 & 10-13, outdoors, $35 till June 7, $45 on siteTeen Advisory Group Meet-ing, books, crafts, ideas & pizza, 6:30 pm, Portage Library, por-tagelibrary.info, teens, FREEFriday, June 12Ultimate Air Dogs & Dog Show, UKC Premier dog show, various events, 8 am-4 pm, Ka-lamazoo Co. Expo Center, 343-9020, www.ukcdogs.com, all ages, $5 per vehicle per day, $10 per vehicle for weekendSaturday, June 13Ultimate Air Dogs & Dog Show, UKC Premier dog show, various events, 8 am-4 pm, Ka-lamazoo Co. Expo Center, 343-9020, www.ukcdogs.com, all ages, $5/vehicle per day, $10/vehicle weekendSunday, June 14Ultimate Air Dogs & Dog Show, UKC Premier dog show featuring various events, 8 am-4

pm, Kalamazoo Co. Expo Cen-ter, 343-9020, www.ukcdogs.com, all ages, $5/vehicle per day, $10/vehicle weekendMonday, June 15J-Pop Club, latest media & food from Japan, 3:30 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, teens, FREE Tuesday, June 16Harborfest, celebrate South-west Michigan’s maritime his-tory, music, crafts & food, South Haven, southhavenharborfest.com, all ages, outdoors, FREE Teen Game Club, video, board & card games, 4 pm, Portage Library, portagelibrary.info, teens, FREEWednesday, June 17Harborfest, celebrate South-west Michigan’s maritime his-tory, music, crafts & food, South Haven, southhavenharborfest.com, all ages, outdoors, FREE Thursday, June 18Harborfest, celebrate South-west Michigan’s maritime his-tory, music, crafts & food, South Haven, southhavenharborfest.com, all ages, outdoors, FREE Teen Heroes vs. Villains Party, declare yourself a hero or vil-

lain at this party featuring cos-tumes & competitions, 6:30 pm, Portage Library, portageli-brary.info, teens, FREEFriday, June 19Harborfest, celebrate South-west Michigan’s maritime his-tory, music, crafts & food, South Haven, southhavenharborfest.com, all ages, outdoors, FREEKids’ Klassic, 1K & 2K fun run (registration required), 6 pm, Kalamazoo YMCA, 1001 Maple St, kalamazooklassic.org, 15 & under, outdoors, $30 Saturday, June 20FUNfari & Lemur Lap Kids’ Fun Run, activities focused on healthy, active lifestyles, 9 am-2 pm, Binder Park Zoo, 979-1351, binderparkzoo.org, all ages, outdoors, pre-register online, $10 members, $12 non-membersKalamazoo Reptile & Exotic Animal Show, reptiles, am-phibians & exotic pets, 10 am-3 pm, Kalamazoo Co. Expo Cen-ter, 2900 Lake St, 779-9851, kalcounty.com/parks, all ages, $4 adult, $2 children, under 6 free, $15 family max

• 36 • Summer 2015

Thursday, July 9Teen Advisory Group Meet-ing, books, crafts, ideas & pizza, 6:30 pm, Portage Library, por-tagelibrary.info, teens, FREEFriday, July 10Art Hop, art at locations around Kalamazoo, 5-8 pm, kalama-zooarts.org, all ages, outdoors, FREEFriday, July 17Preschool Play & Learn, en-courage pre-reading skills through play-centered learning, 10-11:30 am, Portage Library, portagelibrary.info, preschool, FREESaturday, July 18Kalamazoo Reptile & Exotic Animal Show, reptiles, am-phibians & exotic pets, 10 am-3 pm, Kalamazoo Co. Expo Cen-ter, 2900 Lake St, 779-9851, kal-county.com/parks, all ages, $4 adult, $2 children, under 6 free, $15 family maxLEGO @ the Library, build, race & imagine, 4:30 pm, KPL-Cen-tral, kpl.gov, all ages, FREE

Monday, July 20Big Truck Petting Zoo, meet Big Truck Driver M & learn construction site safety, 10 am, Portage Library, portagelibrary.info, all ages, outdoors, FREEJ-Pop Club, latest media & food from Japan, 3:30 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, teens, FREE Tuesday, July 21Teen Game Club, video, board & card games, 4 pm, Portage Library, portagelibrary.info, teens, FREESaturday, July 25MOPARS at the Red Barns, West Michigan’s largest all-Chrysler products car show, 9 am-4 pm, Gilmore Car Muse-um, GilmoreCarMuseum.org, all ages, outdoors, $12, 11 & under free Monday, July 27Musical Storytime, songs, sto-ries & special guests, 6:30 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, all ages, FREE

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The Spaces In BetweenIt’s June … blue skies and broad expanses—the perfect time to get away from it all. The specific destination doesn’t matter. Whether the mountains or the shore, what matters most is what the place offers: solitude and serenity or lights and action. What matters is what the space does for us and allows us to do.

It’s the same with designing for print. Space is an important element that not many people notice until it’s missing. Have you ever seen a flyer so busy your eyes didn’t know where to go? When things get packed so tightly, nothing has the chance to stand out.

Space is so important to people and to printing. Everyone needs room to breathe.

• 36 • Summer 2015

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LEGO @ the Library, build, race & imagine, 10:30 am, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, all ages, FREE Harborfest, celebrate South-west Michigan’s maritime his-tory, music, crafts & food, South Haven, southhavenharborfest.com, all ages, outdoors, FREESunday, June 21Harborfest, celebrate South-west Michigan’s maritime his-tory, music, crafts & food, South Haven, southhavenharborfest.com, all ages, outdoors, FREEMonday, June 22Musical Storytime, songs, sto-ries & special guests, 6:30 pm, KPL-Central, kpl.gov, all ages, FREEWednesday, June 24High Flying Fun with the Air Zoo, study birds, experiment with kites, gliders & planes (registration required), 6:30 pm, Portage Library, portage-library.info, grades K-4, out-doors, FREE

Thursday, June 25Sacred Sounds presents the Collingsworth Family, an eve-ning of family worship & praise, 7 pm, Chenery Auditorium, (616) 662-0850, all ages, call for ticket pricesFriday, June 26Preschool Play & Learn, en-courage pre-reading skills through play-centered learn-ing, 10-11:30 am, Portage Li-brary, portagelibrary.info, pre-school, FREESaturday, June 27Cheetah Chase 5K, run through the zoo (registration required), 8 am, Binder Park Zoo, 7400 Division Drive, 979-1351, binderparkzoo.org, all ages, outdoors, call for cost

JULYThursday, July 2Teen LEGO Club, build with LEGOs, 4 pm, Portage Library, portagelibrary.info, teens,FREE

fyiswmichigan.com • 37 •

interrupt. We are not in the mood. We are over the grey and the snow and the rain. We talk to our spouses about moving to Arizona. Jeff and Olivia moved to Arizona and they love it. They remind us every day on Facebook.

“Just . . . just shut up,” we repeat in a defeated tone so as to let Stuart know it’s not personal. He knows.

MayWe are in the homestretch. Speaking of stretch, we are

now 15 pounds up from last fall, but we don’t care. We don’t care if wearing that suit makes us look like a freshwa-ter walrus rolled up on the shores of Lake Michigan. We don’t care that the gym is still deducting monthly fees. We want sun. Our vitamin D count is at rickets level.

We hear the first rumors that this will be a mild summer.

June - AugustDay 1: We made it! We slowly emerge from our homes

into the Michigan sun. We wave to our neighbors. We col-lectively twist the caps off of our lime beers, but wait to sip until our wheat beer neighbors run inside to grab a bottle opener. Summer is here.

Rest of the summer: Heat wave! Undoubtedly, this will be the hottest summer ever. How is it possible that it’s 80 degrees before 8 a.m.? And why, a thousand times why, did we opt for leather seats?

The silver lining? We sweat off 10 pounds of water weight by mid-July, putting us a scant five pounds above last summer, but that swimsuit is still a little too tight. We buy another suit one size bigger. It’s snug, but if we drop five pounds, it’s perfect!

The kids’ camps begin. The neighbors invite us for bar-becues and pool parties. Every weekend until the end of August is booked with the kids’ events and summer get-togethers. Plus, we need to mow the lawn.

It’s so hot. We complain about the AC at work. Stuart asks if we think we’ll have an Indian Summer, but we can’t remember what that means or whether its a politically cor-rect term anymore, so we just shrug.

Camps end. The kids get antsy. It’s a great time for a va-cation. But what self-respecting Michigander would leave the state in late summer? This is what we wait all year for!

By the end of August, the heat wave subsides. We pick up our summer beer, take a seat out on the deck. We nev-er wore the swimsuit, but it will still look good next year and we’ve got another year to lose those five pounds. Somewhere off in the distance, a plastic hockey puck rockets through a window.

The Last Laugh (continued from page 38)

Days 4–31: We hear the first rumors that this will be a really rough winter. We consider a gym membership, but decide to wait until November because there are still enough nice days to go for a run.

NovemberFirst two weeks: We never go for a run and put that un-

worn swimsuit into winter storage. We give more thought to that gym membership.

No snow thus far, so we begin to hear the first rumors that this will be a really mild winter.

Last two weeks: Winter white out! This is will be the worst winter on record. It is unsafe to drive to the gym in these conditions, but we still work on our beach bod by switching from beer to red wine.

DecemberThe white out subsides. A mild winter for sure, we de-

clare. We set our New Year’s resolution that starting Jan. 1, we will hit the gym. We’ve only gained five pounds since August, which means we need to lose 10 to get to our ideal acceptable weight.

JanuaryDay 1: Hungover. Diet starts tomorrow.Days 2 – 5: We go to the gym! Following a solid 20 min-

utes on the treadmill, we curl a 12-pound weight. We see a ripped 20-something who spends 14 hours a day in the gym and decide to add a few crunches to our workout next week.

Days 6 – 31: Winter white out! Too cold for the gym. Also, no question, unequivocally, this will be the worst winter ever.

February We spend 100 percent of our waking minutes asking when winter will finally end. Someone reminds us it’s Groundhog Day, but we don’t remember what happens if the groundhog sees its shadow because we only as-sociate the day with the Bill Murray movie. “That’s a great movie,” we remind each other. Then, “So, do you think winter’s ending any time soon?”

MarchThere’s too much snow on the ground for summer beers, so it’s time to switch to white wine. We’ve gained 10 pounds since fall, and losing 15 by July might be asking a lot. But if we can at least lose the 10 we’ve gained, we can make that swimsuit work.

AprilIntermittent downpours melt the snow. If you don’t like

the weather in Michigan, just wait- “Shut up, Stuart!” we

LAST LAUGH FYI

A Year in The Life

• 38 • Summer 2015

Summer in Michigan.It’s the reason we Michiganders endure the

rest of the year. Now that it’s finally arrived, we can take a sobering look back at what we went through to get here.

SeptemberDay 1: A nearly perfect day. We recline in our

deck chairs and watch the clouds go by. “This is what it’s all about,” we say, taking a last sip of our wheat or lime beer.

We’re briefly startled by the sound of a basket-ball shattering a garage window in the distance, which could be ours, but aren’t going to be both-ered because it’s an amazing Michigan day.

Days 2 –30: A slight wind blows during the af-ternoons, triggering endless hours of discussing whether we will have an early winter. As we look back at summer, we are a little disappointed that we never quite got into shape to actually wear that new swimsuit, but we’re optimistic! We’ve got almost a full year to give it another go.

OctoberDays 1–3: Schizophrenic weather. There’s an

early chill, broken by moments of the sun. A cold rain falls. We make the joke: If you don’t like the weather in Michigan, just wait 10 minutes, either unconcerned or unaware that this same joke is made in all 50 states and that it rings truer in 47 of them. For the next 25 days, for example, it’s exactly 42 degrees all day.

(continued on page 37)

By BRIAN LAM

fyiswmichigan.com • 39 •

(continued on page 37)

JAZZ CURRENTS

Begins June 1 Are you up to the challenge? kpl.gov/summer

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