FIRST THINGS ENCORE
First Things Please Note: Due to the COVID–19 virus, some of these events may have been cancelled after press time. Please check with the venue and organizations for up-to-date information.
Something Edible
Food trucks take to the road If you aren’t a night owl but crave street food, the organizers of Kalamazoo’s Late Night Food Truck Rally have you covered. Each Tuesday this month the Food Truck Rally will take its show on the road, bringing a variety of outdoor mobile dining options to different Southwest Michigan locations. The Tuesday Food Truck Rally runs from 5-8 p.m., and the dates and locations of this month’s events are: • Aug. 4: Flesher Field, 3664 S. Ninth St., Oshtemo Township. • Aug. 11 (two locations): Oswalt Park, 109 N. Main St., Vicksburg, and Midtown Fresh, 1693 S Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo. • Aug. 18: Antwerp Activity Center, 24821 Front St., Mattawan. • Aug. 25: ChemLink, 353 E. Lyons St., Schoolcraft. COVID-19 protocols are in place. The food trucks will be separated by 15 to 20 feet, hand sanitizer is on site, and the ground is marked with “X’s” to ensure that those waiting in line are kept 6 feet apart. Attendees are asked to wear masks when not eating to ensure that everyone feels comfortable at each event. For more information, visit foodtruckrallykz.com or the event’s Facebook page: @Kalamazoo Food Truck Rally. 8 | ENCORE AUGUST 2020
Something Reopened Air Zoo features new exhibits The
Air Zoo has reopened with new and redesigned exhibits and new visitor protocols related to COVID-19 precautions. During the shutdown, which ended mid-July, two new exhibits were installed at the Air Zoo. The first, Alien Worlds and Androids, explores the search for alien life. It was on temporary display at the Air Zoo in 2017 but is now a permanent exhibit at the museum. Spanning almost 5,000 square feet, the exhibit explores nine outer space environments as well as advances in technology that have led to increased speculation on the possibility of life beyond planet Earth. The second new exhibit, Amelia: Adventurous Aviatrix, explores the legacy of pilot Amelia Earhart, who broke through gender barriers by becoming the first woman (and second person) to pilot an aircraft across the Atlantic and setting women’s world altitude, speed and endurance records. Due to COVID-19, a number of new visitor protocols will be in place, including new hours of operation and indoor amusement park rides, flight simulators, Missions Theater and several of the hands-on exhibits and stations being temporarily inaccessible for guest safety. To learn more, visit airzoo.org.
Something Helpful Got deer? Show these guys
The next time a doe deigns to take a healthy nibble of your hostas, snap a picture and share it with two Kalamazoo College students who are tabulating deer populations in Kalamazooarea neighborhoods for a school project. Jake Osen and Zach Brazil need volunteers to submit deer pictures through the free mobile app iNaturalist. The pictures will help the students identify where deer populations are reaching problematic levels in local neighborhoods. Osen, Brazil and scientists then will confirm what the app finds and use the location data to ascertain what’s attracting deer to those areas. You can find the iNaturalist app in the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android). After downloading it, create a free account using an email address, social media account or Google account. The app will ask to use your location. After confirming permission, use the “Explore” tab to find observations submitted by others. Click the “More” tab and search “Projects” for “Deer populations in the residential areas of Kalamazoo” to volunteer for Osen and Brazil’s project. After joining, simply upload pictures of deer you find in Kalamazoo.
