Inmates Train Dogs for Adoption
Take a Toasty Fireplace Tour
February 2022
Picking Up the Pieces
The Hook family recovers from tragedy
RAD Fest Returns
Meet Lana Hoffman
Southwest Michigan’s Magazine
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ENCORE EDITOR'S NOTE
From the Editor Y
es, February is the month of love, and while our cover story isn't about romantic love, it is definitely a love story. It emphasizes something we should all embrace this month and every month: taking care of one another. When Brent Hook was shot in February 2019, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury among other physical damage, his children Chaz and Tori Hook found themselves in a position not a lot of young 20-somethings can fathom: being the decision makers and ultimately 24/7 caregivers for their dad. At a time when they were both launching their own futures, the brother and sister dropped everything to help their father reclaim his. I have followed the Hooks’ story since the shooting and was honored that they agreed to share it with Encore. What they have endured imparts an uplifting message of love, hope and acceptance that we can all appreciate. Another uplifting tale in this issue comes from intern Maggie Drew, who wrote about the Refurbished Pets program that teams up with inmates at Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater to train dogs from shelters to become more suitable for adoption. Maggie spoke with not only participants in the program but a local woman whose family adopted a dog from Refurbished Pets and learned it's a win-win for all involved. Also this month, we profile an individual whose love for animals is just one part of her multifaceted personality. Lana Hoffman not only has fostered 400 cats in her time, but also is a professional singer and the owner of Lana's Boutique, which has stores in downtown Kalamazoo and St. Joseph. Finally, we don't want to disappoint, so there is something for all you romantics out there, and it’s timely, given that we are in the midst of winter. Our Five Faves feature offers a fireplace tour of greater Kalamazoo, highlighting places you can get warm and cozy with someone you love. So, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Enjoy this issue, and thank you for reading Encore!
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Inmates Train Dogs for Adoption
Take a Toasty Fireplace Tour
RAD Fest Returns
Meet Lana Hoffman
Southwest Michigan’s Magazine
February 2022
Picking Up the Pieces
The Hook family recovers from tragedy
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4 | ENCORE FEBRUARY 2022
CONTENTS
F e b r u a r y 2022
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURE Picking Up the Pieces
After their father, Brent Hook, was shot, his kids bonded to put him on the road to recovery
16
3 From the Editor 6
Contributors
7 Five Faves
Get warm and toasty in front of these area fireplaces
10 First Things
A round–up of happenings in SW Michigan
12
Good Works
38
Back Story
Training Dogs for Adoption — Refurbished Pets teams up with inmates to give dogs and the incarcerated new skills
Meet Lana Hoffman — She's an entrepreneur, professional singer and fosterer of nearly 400 cats
THE ARTS 24 RAD Fest Returns Dancers, choreographers and fans are dancing for joy 26 Theater 28 29 30 30
Music Visual Arts Dance Literature
31
Poetry
32
Events of Note
"News as it should be" by Jennifer Clark
On the cover: After a traumatic shooting, Brent Hook, center, has been guided on his recovery by his children, Tori Hook, left, and Chaz Hook. Photo by Brian K. Powers
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CONTRIBUTORS ENCORE
Maggie Drew
For this month's issue, Maggie wrote about Refurbished Pets of Southern Michigan, a pet adoption agency in Coldwater that partners with inmates at Lakeland Correctional Facility to train dogs before they are adopted. “RPSM is an organization that benefits everyone involved,” Maggie says. “Everyone who I talked to spoke highly of them, and it was quite an uplifting story to write.” Maggie is a senior at Western Michigan University majoring in journalism and an intern at Encore.
Marie Lee
Marie says when she was 20, she didn't have the wherewithal to remember to do laundry or call her parents, never mind care for one of them 24/7 after a tragedy, which is why she was intrigued by Chaz and Tori Hook and the way they’ve cared for their father, Brent Hook. "I think one of the reasons Brent Hook has recovered as well as he has is because of his kids," says Marie, who wrote this month’s cover story. "They, like their dad, absolutely refuse to give up on his continued improvement and have moved heaven and Earth to help him get better, giving up a lot on a personal level to do so. It's not that often you meet 20-somethings that exude this level of hope, love and determination." Marie is the editor of Encore.
6 | ENCORE FEBRUARY 2022
Katie Houston Katie first became familiar with Wellspring/Cori Terry and Dancers when her toddler took a dance class with the company's Dance Academy more than 20 years ago. She's a fan of the Joffrey Ballet, Pilobolus, Dance Theatre of Harlem and Social Movement Contemporary Dance in Houston, Texas, and of dancing around the house with the music turned up loud. Katie is a Kalamazoobased freelance writer and marketing consultant.
Julie Smith
While many people in Kalamazoo are familiar with Lana’s Boutique and with jazz and country vocalist Lana Hoffman, they may not realize the shopkeeper and the singer are one and the same. “Lana has fun with life, but she takes her role as a business owner and entertainer to heart," Julie says. "She approaches everything with passion, and that really comes through when you visit her boutiques or attend one of her performances.” In addition, Julie says, Hoffman has saved hundreds of cats' lives through pet fostering. Julie is a Plainwell-based freelance writer.
ENCORE FIVE FAVES
Five Faves
The area's coziest fireplaces to cuddle by BY DAN CUNNINGHAM PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN K. POWERS
A
s the days get colder and brisk winter winds blow the last crunchy leaves from the trees, some Michiganders greet winter with enthusiasm, hitting slopes, ice rinks and cross-country trails the second the first snowflake appears. Others don flannel and disappear under heavy blankets in their toasty dens, not to be seen outdoors until the grass is green. Whether Michigan winters spark joy in you or not, there's one thing we can agree on: There's nothing like warming up by a roaring fire. In the dead of winter a few years back, my spouse and I mapped out a fireplace restaurant tour, sipping and snacking our way around the area's coziest restaurant fireplaces, and it’s been a tradition for us every winter since. Here are our favorite spots:
Cove Lakeside Bistro 9110 Portage Road, Portage
O
verlooking West Lake, the Cove offers delicious seafood and steaks along with unobscured waterfront and sunset views through its west-facing wall of windows. The juxtaposition of the frozen snow-covered lake and the fire burning in the long, modern glass fireplace makes you feel like you're fooling Mother Nature as you warm your bones by the flickering embers. Few things can top a cozy seat by the lake and by a warm fire except maybe the Cove’s hot, bubbling Lobster Fondue and a steamy bowl of Hampton Clam Chowder. But beware, you will be thinking about this comfort food for days afterward. For more information or to make reservations, call 350-5380 or visit covewestlake.com. The restaurant currently closes at 9 p.m.
The Dock at Bayview 12504 East D Ave., Richland
W
alking into The Dock feels like walking into your best friend's living room. Its laid-back vibe is just as warm and welcoming as its toasty fireplace. The restaurant/ bar, set on a hilltop overlooking the east end of Gull Lake, offers a casual atmosphere, plus live music on weekends. The food is great, the service is friendly, and there’s always plenty of room near the fire. There’s a second circular fireplace in The Dock's banquet room, reserved for larger parties. The Dock is also home to one of the biggest and most unusually stocked Bloody Mary bars in the state. I have watched people roll by with all kinds of things sticking straight out of a big Bloody Mary mug, including ham and cheese roll-ups, pickles, olives, hot peppers, grilled vegetable skewers, peel ‘n’ eat shrimp, chicken wings and mini pork sliders. You can watch the Bloody Mary parade from the fireplace from noon–3 p.m. every Sunday. It’s a first-class buffet in a glass. For more information, call 731-4911 or visit thedockatbayview.com. The restaurant closes at 11 p.m. Monday–Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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Martell’s
3501 Greenleaf Blvd.
M
artell’s, a Kalamazoo institution overlooking Willow Lake in Parkview Hills, offers three fireside dining options. You know it's going to be cozy when you enter the restaurant's lobby and feel like you've stepped into an old English Tudor residence with leather club chairs and long, comfy window seats under large leaded-glass windows. The main dining room, which faces the lake with most tables having unobscured lake views, offers a large, triangular fireplace that allows open views of the flames from either side of the room. A similar fireplace is featured in the restaurant's banquet room for large groups (up to 55 guests, with a 25-person minimum). Or you can find a cozy table for two right next to a fireplace in the lower-level bar area. Sometimes it gets so toasty in the bar that the bartenders need to wear shorts and tank tops in the winter. Martell’s mushroom soup is remarkable and pairs extremely well with a roaring fire, as do the house-roasted meatballs with red wine sauce. For more information or to make reservations, call 375-2105 or visit martellsparkviewhills.com. The restaurant closes at 10 p.m.
Panera Bread Company 5627 Gull Road
I
f you score one of two tables directly adjacent to the open-sided fireplace at Panera, you can enjoy fresh, delicious treats, both baked and brewed, while the warmth of the fire soothes your soul. Panera has perfected a coffee-shop atmosphere where you can relax, read or chat with a friend. Panera has also made no-contact food service easy, with three no-contact ordering options: online, app or lobby kiosk. Just walk in and grab your order or hit the kiosk to order and then grab your fireside seat. There are so many favorites from Panera, but if its mac and cheese doesn’t scream warm and fuzzy, I’m not sure what does. Whatever your pleasure in food and drink, enjoying it in a comfy seat by the fire on a cold winter day at Panera will make it even better. For more information, call 345-8888 or visit panerabread.com. The restaurant currently closes at 9 p.m.
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ENCORE FIVE FAVES
Fieldstone Grill
About the Author
3970 W. Centre Ave., Portage
E
ntering the main dining room feels like checking in at the lodge of a high-end nature resort. You’re immediately drawn to the establishment's two-story fieldstone fireplace, anchored on a wall of glass that overlooks the natural wetlands of the Moors Golf Club. This floor-toceiling fireplace, burning every day fall through winter, is the most grand on our tour. It was constructed with stones excavated from the property of Millennium Restaurant Group partner Ken Miller. Its flickering fire washes over you like the warmth of an old friend. On the other side of the restaurant, the open kitchen offers flames of its own in a rotisserie, wood-burning grill and stone pizza oven. A 14-inch stone-fired pizza and a bowl of Herbed Chicken & White Bean Soup are highly recommended for winter chill elimination. For more information or to make reservations, call 321-8480 or visit fieldstonegrillwoodbridge. com. The restaurant currently closes at 9 p.m.
Ask ASK Please send your questions to:
THE BUSINESS AND ESTATE PLANNING
LAWYER
THE BUSINESS AND ESTATE PLANNING
LAWYER
Q. I understand LAWYER A. The annual gift tax exclusion, which is the amount a donor may give
MICHAEL J. WILLIS, J.D., C.P.A., WILLIS LAW
Please send your questions to:
Dan Cunningham was excited to share his restaurant fireplace tour, which was born in a winter with record snowfall and from a true love of great food and fireplaces. A certified professional organizer and founder of The Organizer Man, Dan creates efficient systems for busy people so they can spend more time on things that matter most to them. He specializes in kitchen organization and food preparation. He says the fireplace tour is a perfect blend of food, drink, friendship and a cozy fireside atmosphere.
Q.
ASK
THE BUSINESS AND ESTATE PLANNING
My husband is going into a nursing home. I’ve been told it is possible for me to create a trust and protect my assets from the spend down at the nursing home. Is that true?
ASK to any one donee, per year, without any use of the donor’s unified credit for I may give up to PLANNING LAWYER Q. estate and gift tax purposes, is now $16,000/year as of January 1st. This number $10,000 to any adjusts upward for inflation as of 1997, when it was scheduled at $10,000/donee/ Willis Law A. person once a Q. year. The $10,000 number “stuck” in everyday discussions and most people aren’t 491 West South Street Michael J. Willis, J.D., C.P.A. year? Is that aware of the inflationary adjustment. Please note that a married donor may “giftKalamazoo, MI 49007 A. split” with the donor’s spouse, such that the total annual gift to any one donee accurate? 269.492.1040 Michael J. Willis, J.D., C.P.A. Willis Law 491 West South Street Kalamazoo, MI 49007 269.492.1040 www.willis.law
Michael J. Willis, J.D., C.P.A.
THE BUSINESS AND ESTATE
A.
Yes. Most often when folks talk on trust planning, they are referencing a revocable trust. In fact, that is the case probably more than 99% of the time. A revocable trust under Michigan law generally is set up only to avoid probate--that’s its only benefit. However, there Please send your questions to: husband going into a nursing home.that I’ve told it is is anMy irrevocable trustisfor persons in your circumstances can been be established withtoyour assetsatotrust the extent they exceed protected possible for me create and protect my the assets from the spend Willis Law amount (which under Michigan law will cap at a little over $125,000). down at the nursing home. Is that true? 491 West South Street If the trust is irrevocable and the assets are effectively established in an Kalamazoo, MI 49007 MICHAEL J. WILLIS, J.D., C.P.A., WILLIS annuity LAW income stream back to you per the terms of the trust, then in 269.492.1040 such Yes. a circumstance the trustwhen will no folks longer talk be considered Most often on trusta countable planning, they are www.willis.law asset, but instead an income stream and thereby exempt for Medicaid Please send your questions to: referencing a My revocable trust. Ingoing fact, that case probably more intois atheand nursing purposes. This is husband a sophisticatedis planning technique, I highly home. I’ve been told it is thanencourage 99% of you the time. counsel A revocable trust underthisMichigan law generally before implementing or possible toforseekme to create a trust andtechnique protect my assets from the spend is set only to avoid probate--that’s its only benefit. However, there anyup other Medicaid planning. Willis Law MICHAEL J. WILLIS, J.D., C.P.A., WILLIS LAW
Michael J. Willis, J.D., C.P.A.
9471992-01
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is now $32,000 for a married couple. Any gift in excess of the annual exclusion requires the filing of a gift tax return and the use of part of a donor’s unified credit. While we are at it, the unified credit also adjusted upward for inflation and is currently $12,060,000 (up from $11,700,000 last year). That exemption is still slated to “sunset” as of January 1, 2026 to a number that will likely be closer to $6M/person.
Michael J. Willis is the Managing Partner of Willis Law, Attorneys and Counselors at Law, is licensed to practice law in Florida and Michigan, and is registered as a certified public accountant in the state of Illinois. Attorney Willis is rated as an A V -Preeminent Attorney by Martindale-Hubbell. This rating, according to Martindale, which has been rating lawyers for over a century, signifies that an attorney has reached the heights of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity. He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America.
9471992-01
9471992-01
www.willis.law
w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 9
FIRST THINGS ENCORE
First Things
Something Good
‘Galentines’ event to benefit YWCA A benefit for the YWCA Kalamazoo this month
will celebrate love in many forms and raise money for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking. The event, called Love Shouldn't Hurt: Galentines at Green Door, is set for 3–9 p.m. Feb. 12 at Green Door Distilling, 429 E. North St. It will include a craft show featuring women-owned businesses, a silent auction, selfie stations and make-and-take opportunities, including the chance to create a macrame plant holder and receive a free plant. Admission to the event is $6, and the macrame workshop is $35. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit tinyurl.com/bdzkebjv.
Something Bluesy
Lucinda Williams to play at State Theatre Three-time Grammy Award winner Lucinda Williams will perform at the Kalamazoo State Theatre at 8 p.m. Feb.12. Williams has a career that spans more than four decades, producing 14 albums. An artist who isn't confined to a single genre, she won a Grammy for best country song (1994), best contemporary folk album (1999) and best female rock vocal performance (2002). Her latest album, Good Souls, Better Angels, released in 2020, sees the Louisiana-born artist returning to the gritty blues foundation that first inspired her as a young artist in the late '70s. Tickets are $39–$79 and available at kazoostate.com or at the theater’s box office, at 404 S. Burdick St.
Something Country
Cody Johnson & Easton Corbin to play Wings Promising a performance that's very country, former rodeo rider and now country music star Cody Johnson is pairing up with Easton Corbin — the artist who penned the hit "A Little More Country Than That" — for a show at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at Wings Event Center, 3600 Vanrick Drive. Johnson is touring to support his new double album, Human, which follows the success of his debut album, Ain't Nothin' to It (2019), which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Album and All Genre Digital Sales charts. Corbin, who debuted with his self-titled album in 2009, has won several American Country Awards, two No. 1 singles with “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It,” and seven Top 10 singles and was named Top New Country Artist by Billboard in 2010. Tickets are $40–$125 and available at wingseventcenter.com. 10 | ENCORE FEBRUARY 2022
What happens after I sell my business?
Something Historic
Exhibit highlights history of the Kalamazoo Boxing Academy When you think of impactful things birthed
in Kalamazoo, you might think of guitars, medicine and beer, but probably not boxers (as in the fighters, not the underwear or the dogs). But you might after visiting the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s new exhibit, The Forgotten Fights of the Kalamazoo Boxing Academy, which opens Feb. 5 and runs through Sept. 18. The Kalamazoo Boxing Academy, which was located at 241 N. Burdick between W. Water and Eleanor streets, was founded by Henry Grooms and Eddie Bridges. During its two-decade run in the 1970s and '80s, the KBA produced dozens of state boxing champions plus Golden Gloves and Toughman Contest winners. The museum's exhibit traces the history of the KBA, focusing on the fighters, who recount their personal experiences. Admission to the museum, which is located at 230 N. Rose St., is free. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the museum is open for limited hours by advance registration. For more information or to register, visit kalamazoomuseum.org.
Something Tasty
Miller Auditorium serves up Waitress Miller Auditorium offers up a musical
treat when Waitress takes the stage Feb. 22 and 23, with original music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. Inspired by the 2007 movie of the same name, Waitress tells the story of Jenna, an expert piemaker who dreams of leaving her small town. A baking contest and the town’s new doctor may offer her a fresh start in this tale of friendship, motherhood and the magic of well-made pie. Show times are 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $31–$80 and available at millerauditorium.com or by calling the box office at 387-2300. Please note: Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, some of these events may be cancelled or changed after press time. Please check with venues and organizations for up-to-date information.
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GOOD WORKS ENCORE
Training Dogs for Adoption
In teaching canines, the incarcerated gain new skills too BY MAGGIE DREW
H
Brian Powers
ey, dog lovers, this one’s for you. If you’ve wanted to adopt a dog that has already been trained and at the same time provide opportunities for incarcerated individuals to learn skills and do something meaningful while in prison, then Refurbished Pets of Southern Michigan is right up your alley. A nonprofit dog adoption agency based in Coldwater, RPSM works with inmates of the state's Lakeland Correctional Facility to train
12 | ENCORE FEBRUARY 2022
dogs in obedience skills prior to those dogs’ adoptions. The organization has trained and adopted out nearly 1,300 dogs. It began as many impactful things do — it was organized by a few people who cared about an issue. Several women in the Coldwater area came together to keep dogs in local animal shelters from being euthanized, according to Misty Komerick, former president of RPSM and current volunteer. They formed a dog
adoption agency and used signs and social media posts to create awareness of the situation. RPSM's efforts caught the attention of Carol Howes, then-warden of Lakeland Correctional Facility, who asked the group if it would be interested in working together. According to Komerick, Howes was passionate Below: Roxie is a graduate of the Refurbished Pets training program. Right: Jim Blau learned to train dogs while incarcerated and now runs his own dog training academy in Saginaw.
Courtesy
ENCORE GOOD WORKS
about giving inmates productive activities to do while incarcerated and thought that the facility could begin a dog-training program. “Prior to the training program at the prison, we were really small,” says Komerick of RPSM. “We had a handful of foster homes, trying to get those dogs out of the highkill animal control shelters and get them adopted. The training was huge, because a lot of the dogs just need a little help to make them more adoptable. If someone can adopt a dog that's crate-trained and knows your basic obedience commands, that's huge. So it really helped.” Partnering with a prison RPSM typically trains younger dogs that come from the organization's animal shelter partners. Most of the time someone has already asked to adopt a dog before it
goes through the training process with the prisoners. Each dog spends about 10 weeks in the Lakeland Correctional Facility, where two inmates are assigned as its trainers. The dogs are with their trainers 24/7 in the facility, and the inmates write progress reports about the animals, providing updates to the adopters on how their dog is doing. There are typically 14 dogs going through training at one time. To become trainers for the program, inmates have to meet several criteria. “They have to be incident-free for at least 18 months, so they can’t be getting into any new trouble,” Komerick says. “They have to have their GED or be in the process of getting it, and it cannot be anyone incarcerated for criminal sexual conduct, so they are interviewed pretty carefully.”
Jim Blau, a former inmate and participant in the program, explains that, once selected for the program, the inmates learn how to train dogs by being immersed in the program. Newer trainers are partnered with senior trainers, who pass along their knowledge, Blau says. “They will kind of show you the ropes, show you what the RPSM system is for training dogs and the methods that they like to use," Blau says. Blau had worked training dogs prior to his participation in RPSM but says he values the information he received and the lessons he learned from other RPSM trainers. He trained about a dozen dogs during his time in the program and says each dog was a new and exciting experience for him. “Every time you get a new dog, the first week or two you and your partner are really excited to see what it is going to be like,” Blau says. “You discover that you have to treat each dog as a separate personality. You have to use different techniques, use a little different voice with each dog to get the most out of each one." The trainers in the program are supportive of each other and help each other out, Blau says. If a dog is having problems, the trainers brainstorm together and pull from each other’s knowledge in determining how to address the problems. A new career after prison Blau took what he learned with him when he was released from prison and now runs his own dog training academy, Mid-Michigan K9 Academy, in Saginaw. Mid-Michigan K9 Academy specializes in a weeklong
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GOOD WORKS ENCORE somebody smile. It feels so good that even in this bad situation, you know you did a little bit of good. You made somebody happy. It really changed the quality of life for us.” Once a dog finishes its training through RPSM, it goes through a “graduation” ceremony before being sent to its new home. “The week before the dogs are adopted, we have a graduation ceremony and each handler can show off what their dog has learned,” Komerick says. “Then we give each trainer a certificate with their dog's picture, thanking them for their care and training.” After the dogs are settled into their new homes, the trainers sometimes get updates from the families about the animals.
Above: Linda Mah shows some of the training her adopted dog, Roxie, came to her family with. Right: Linda Mah and Michael Morris have found Roxie's training makes her an excellent walking companion.
Brian Powers
'A really great thing' Linda Mah, of Kalamazoo, adopted her dog, Roxie, through RSPM after finding out about the organization on social media. Mah and
board-and-train session in which dogs are trained in several basic obedience skills. The academy also offers two-week board-andtraining programs as well as a 10-day program to address dog aggression. Blau credits RPSM with giving him something positive and productive to do during his incarceration and says he is thankful to be able to continue using the skills he was taught. “When you're incarcerated like that, a lot of stuff is taken away,” he says. “Everything's taken away from you, and you're not able to do anything productive like a human should. So, to work with the dogs, you're not only enabled to do that, but you're doing it for somebody on the outside and you're doing something that's going to make
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her family were already looking for a dog and, after hearing about the program, decided this was the best choice for her family. “I wanted a dog who would come trained,” Mah says. “Also, I just liked the idea of the program — the fact that not only are the dogs trained, but it provides the prisoners with this opportunity to do something positive. It seemed like a really great thing.” Mah, who also has a cat, had originally applied for a different RPSM dog she was interested in but was informed by the organization that the dog would not be good around cats. RPSM suggested Roxie instead. “The vetting process was pretty extensive,” Mah says. “We filled out an application, described our house and what we were like, had to take a video of the house and the backyard and commit to getting a fence of some sort. I thought they were very good about communicating what they were looking for, what their expectations were. Then we got to meet her (Roxie) beforehand. I think they really try to match the dog with the right person.” Roxie came to Mah in December 2020, and Mah says she was pleasantly surprised at all the dog had been taught — Roxie could walk on a leash without pulling, was fully potty trained and could obey basic house commands like sit, stay and shake. “We had a great experience,” Mah says. “Roxie is a great dog. She's smart. They did a great job training her. They took good care of her. The volunteers did a great job of reassuring me and making sure it was a good match. I’d definitely do it again.” Blau says he’d love for more people to understand that programs like this change lives. “They change the dogs’ lives but also change people's lives, both outside and inside,” he says. “It has a way of making a lot of people happy, whether it's the people just adopting the dog or it’s the people training, getting to know they did something to help somebody. That's a real blessing.”
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16 | ENCORE FEBRUARY 2022
BY MARIE LEE
O
Picking up the After Brent Hook was shot, his kids became the driving force in his recovery
Brian Powers
Pieces
n a Tuesday morning, a little before 7:30 and seconds after he walked in the front door of his Kalamazoo business, Tough Coat Custom Powder Coating, Brent Hook was shot five times, including twice in the head, by the estranged husband of a woman he had begun dating. The shooting, on Feb. 26, 2019, launched Hook into the hardest fight of his life — one he is still waging — to come back from near-death and recover from a traumatic brain injury that affects his ability to walk, speak and do other everyday activities. At the same time, it propelled his children, Chaz and Tori, then 20 and 23, respectively, into the driver's seat of their father's medical treatment and recovery, as they began to navigate a confusing and often frustrating world of medical insurance, rehabilitation and therapies while also becoming the managers of his business and his life. Around the Kalamazoo Speedway and other local racing circles, Brent Hook, now 56, is well known. A longtime racing fixture, he had a reputation for being a voracious competitor and quite often a winner at tracks across the Midwest. A Saginaw resident who came to Kalamazoo to play football at Western Michigan University, Hook was a tough go-getter who taught himself to race and build and work on cars. Around the track he had acquired the nickname "Hoopty" for his penchant to creatively build and repair cars, or anything else for that matter. At the time of the shooting, Hook and his now exwife and the mother of his children were in the midst of a divorce that had been in the works for nearly six months. That first day at the hospital, Tori and her mother arrived first. Chaz, who was attending the University of Michigan–Dearborn, arrived a couple hours later. Hook had been shot in his abdomen (which resulted in the removal of his spleen), right hand and left bicep and twice through the left side of his brain. There are still bullet fragments in his skull. "They were kind of waiting for me to get there before the doctors told us about how my dad was, " says Chaz. "The first thing they said was, 'Where do you want the organs to go?'" "They told us they were going to do surgery in an attempt to stop the bleeding and if it didn't work, we were going to have to say our goodbyes," says Tori. "At that point I wasn't crying because I really didn't feel like my dad was going to die, because it's my dad. Like, my dad doesn't get hurt, he's invincible." The surgery was successful, and by the end of the first day Hook was alive and stable but in a coma. On Brent Hook, bottom right, a longtime fixture in the local car racing community, is recovering from a near-fatal shooting thanks to the support of his children, (back row from left) Chaz and Tori, and his wife Dena (bottom left). w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 17
18 | ENCORE FEBRUARY 2022
Courtesy
the second day, as their father lay in the ICU at Bronson Methodist Hospital, Tori and Chaz realized it was "go time," she says. "I kind of started to panic," recalls Tori. "I remember saying, 'OK, Chaz, here's what's going to happen. You are going to have to listen to the doctors and remember what they're saying and tell them if it's not right, and I'm going to have to handle the shop and the bills and things like that.'" Things were complicated, however. Their parents' divorce wasn't final, and because of that, Hook’s now ex-wife still had the authority to make decisions for him, a situation neither Chaz nor Tori was comfortable with. "Why should our soon-to-be-divorced parents be in control of each other’s lives when that is not what either want because they're going through a divorce?" Chaz says, recalling the opinion of himself and his sister. Neither of them knew what the next step would look like in this matter. Tori consulted with her father's divorce attorney, who suggested they attempt to gain legal guardianship of their father, a move their mother resisted. "We met with my mom and said, 'We need you to sign these papers because you guys are going through a divorce and you shouldn't be in charge of his life anymore,'" Chaz says. "My mom said, 'No.' My sister was crying and leaning forward with her head down, and all of a sudden she just sat back and looked at me and I was like, I got it. I'll be the hammer.” Chaz convinced his mother to make Tori her father's legal guardian and conservator, and then, with the swipe of a pen, the 23-year-old became the medical advocate, caregiver and decision maker for their father. But from the beginning, Tori and Chaz worked together to make decisions for their father that were difficult, from whether or not to amputate his right thumb to who could see him and when. After the shooting, Hook's wide circle of friends reached out, many of them showing up at the hospital and filling a waiting room. "When I first got there and they were walking us down to see him for the first time, I remember getting out of the elevator and looking left because we were following a nurse and she turned right immediately, just beelined right," recalls Chaz. "But I looked left and into the waiting area and there were so many people there I couldn't see through it. I thought, 'If something were to happen, we'll be all right because there's that lot of people that care about my dad.'" Despite this outpouring of support, once Tori had legal authority as her father's guardian, she and Chaz decided that only they could visit him while he was in the ICU, she says. "When we walked in to see my dad, I said, 'Oh, this is the wrong room,' because it didn't even look like him to me. He was so swollen, and there were just all these tubes," she says. "I know that my dad's image to him is really important — it's not just physical, but it's just like how he represents himself to the racing community and his customers and things like that. "I know people were mad and saying I was the one keeping my dad away from everybody, but I don't even want to see my dad like this, and until he can make that decision for himself, nobody else needs to see him like this. I'll take the heat for that any day, because no one knows what it was like in there."
Above: Brent Hook as a young dad with a 3-year-old Tori and infant Chaz. Right: Since the shooting, the local racing community has come out to support Hook who successfully raced as No. 17.
Hook was in a coma for two weeks, during which one or the other of his children was with him 24 hours a day. That 24/7 companionship continued even after Hook awoke from his coma. "We decided that one of us would always be there with him,” Tori says. “He wasn't ever going to be alone. Someone who can’t make decisions for themselves or even speak left alone? Absolutely not. I could only think about how scary this was for my dad." Tori, who is a market partner with Monat, a multi-level marketing skin and hair-care company, worked remotely for both that job and her photography business from a chair in her father's room. Chaz was on hand to talk with the doctors ("He became very fluent in medical terms. He knew exactly what was going on," Tori says) and "took the night shift," spending each night in his father's hospital room. "They had a monitor for the pressure on his brain,” Chaz says, “and my sister and I noticed that every time I was in the room, the pressure was lower. So that's why I never left, because I knew that if he can get through this phase, he'll make it. I wanted to keep his brain pressure lowered." The first time Chaz did leave — to have new tires put on his car and get an oil change because of the increased travel back and forth — his father woke from the coma. "One of my biggest regrets is I wasn't there when he woke up," Chaz admits. “The most helpless feeling in the world was watching him wake up and panic,” Tori says. “I had to be calm and make him feel safe, even if I didn’t feel that way myself.”
Around-the-clock attention
The around-the-clock attention to their father continued after Hook emerged from his coma. He was moved from the ICU in Kalamazoo to a long-term acute-care facility in Grand Rapids to wean him off his breathing tube before rehabilitation therapies could begin.
"I essentially dropped out of college," Chaz says. "I emailed every professor and told them my situation, but only one told me she'd help me. And just so those other teachers know, I passed that class with an A." Meanwhile, Tori was busy dealing with a lot of details, from helping to make medical decisions for her father and dealing with health insurance and medical bills to establishing a journal of every medicine or
During this time, the woman Brent Hook was dating when he was shot, Dena Zwart, began to play a role in caring for him, giving the siblings a bit of a respite. After the shooting, Dena spent nights sleeping on a chair in the hospital waiting room, even though she couldn't visit Brent. As he became more “present,” Tori says, she asked him if he remembered what had happened to him and he nodded, tears in his eyes. “This was
The Hook and the Zwart families had known each other for decades, through racing. Dena has two daughters, and Tori and Dena's oldest daughter, Maggie, are close friends. Despite the heartbreaking circumstances, Tori and Maggie have done their best to keep their bond and continue to grow their relationship. "Maggie was my first best friend,” Tori says. “At the end of the day, we are the oldest siblings, and we set the pace for our younger siblings. We want both of our parents just to be happy. If that means they're happy together, then we're happy for them. Being in love, I don't think anyone deserves to be shot over it."
Long road of recovery
therapy her father was given. In addition, Tori had to step in and run her father's business, Tough Coat, while keeping her own business ventures from foundering. "I had to step up and do things that made me feel uncomfortable,” Tori says. “When I became Ms. Tough Coat, I had to jump through so many hurdles just to be able to sign things or pay bills, because it was all in his (her father's) name. It would be kind of comical. My dad did some of his work on trades, and so one of the first things I did was change the company's voicemail to say, 'There are no more trades.' My dad would also let stuff with people sort of slide or not follow up as much. They'd say, 'Oh, we'll pay you next week.' And I'm like, 'You'll pay me right now.' There were a lot of times Tori Hook Photo LLC paid Tough Coat bills."
already all very confusing to my dad, and I did my best to protect him from the shooting until I felt he was ready to understand. He surprised me by remembering. The doctors from the ICU told me he probably wouldn’t remember. "And I said, 'You know, Dena has been waiting patiently to see you,' and he started crying. I think he was concerned about what me and Chaz would think about him continuing to see Dena after what had happened. And I said, 'If you want to see her, you can see her.' And he said, 'Not yet,' because he was nervous about his talking and how he looked. So I said, 'Let's call her.' We called her, and I remember he could barely get it out, but he said, 'I love you.' When they got to see each other, it was like 'That's that' and she never left."
With Brent Hook's survival no longer in doubt, his recovery became not only his full-time mission, but his kids' as well. He was unable to walk or use his right side, and the brain injury left him with confusion and aphasia (the loss of ability to understand or express speech). As he healed, Tori and Chaz looked at the next phase of his recovery, which was to go to an in-patient rehabilitation center. They set their sights on a renowned facility in Grand Rapids, but when their father was assessed by one of the facility's doctors, the doctor deemed him not suitable for that facility, says Tori. "He exhausted all his powers to prove to them he was ready, and it came down to a single question like 'Show me your left hand,' and my dad showed them his right. It was a very crushing thing for my dad to hear, and me too," Tori says. They then approached Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids, which had a smaller inpatient rehab facility on one of their floors. "I remember this pregnant doctor came through the door smiling at my dad and was really nice. He was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and said, 'I will do whatever you ask.' And she said, 'We'll take you.' We looked at each other and cried because that was the next step of his being better. Looking back now, I firmly believe she knew she was going to accept him, no matter how he responded to her questions. It was the biggest weight lifted off my shoulders. She gave my dad so much hope." w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 19
Slowly, methodically, Brent made progress. His days were spent in painful therapies as he relearned how to do the most basic of activities — write, stand, speak, get dressed. Tori's days were spent on behindthe-scenes work, talking to medical administrators and the insurance company, fighting to get her father the care he needed. Chaz, who was working at an auto parts store in Dearborn, transferred to a store in Kalamazoo and continued to support his father, driving to Grand Rapids to visit him and being there when they needed to talk to doctors and therapists. Brent had health insurance and fundraisers to help offset the costs of his medical bills that insurance didn't cover. A GoFundMe campaign was started by a family friend shortly after the shooting, and local businesses put out fundraising jars. In March 2019, Brent's friends Ryan Waring and Lucas Krick and others held a spaghetti dinner and raffle to raise money. It made about $25,000. Shortly after the shooting, friend Buddy Head raised about $1,000 by making and selling stickers with Brent's nickname, "Hoopty," and racing car number 17 on them, giving the proceeds to Tori and Chaz. “I remember meeting Buddy in the hall of the hospital and as he handed the money to me, he held on and locked eyes with me and said, ‘This isn’t for your dad, it’s for you and Chaz — food, gas, whatever.’ It meant so much because he cared for my dad, he cared for us. We felt this a lot throughout.” For Chaz and Tori, the full-time care of their dad came with unexpected personal costs. In addition to Chaz leaving school, Tori found herself approaching her biggest season for photography — with 29 summer weddings scheduled — wondering if she were going to be able to do both. And both siblings, who had been in long-term romantic relationships, saw those relationships end. "It's a lot of support to ask of someone whom you are in a relationship with. It’s just not fair for anyone," says Tori. "They can have a hard time understanding that your full-time life is focused on your dad."
But the siblings say that they discovered sides of themselves they didn't know existed and that the relationship between them strengthened. "We had the classic sibling 'I'm going to hug you but slap you on the back really hard when I do' kind of relationship," says Chaz.
Brent Hook and Dena Zwart were married in February 2021, two years after Brent was shot by Dena's estranged husband. Photo credit: Faith Rowley
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"After this all happened, I have never been closer with her. We talk a lot more now than we ever had. And we're way more like best friends than probably siblings." Each has their own strengths when it comes to helping their father. Tori is "the mama bird," says Chaz, while he, once again, often finds himself being "the hammer." He describes a moment during Brent's rehabilitation in Grand Rapids when he and his father "got into it” and his father tried to hit him. "He was mad, sitting in his wheelchair, trying to swing at me. And I stood there and said, 'Oh, you want to hit me right now?' He says 'F--- you.' He couldn't talk, but he could spit swear words out because those came out easier for him," Chaz says with a laugh. "He's trying to move his chair but can't, and I said, 'I'm leaving,' and grabbed my keys and walked out. I waited for 30 minutes and then went back and opened his door. He was right where I left him. I asked, 'Are you still upset?' He just looked at me and then looked down. I said, 'All right, so here's the deal. I'm your son. The only one you got, sadly. And nobody else is here. If you want me to help you — probably for the rest of your life — figure it out right now. Because you're not going to treat me like that. I'm here for you. I'm not here for me.' "I told him, 'You did a lot for me my whole life. I'm returning the favor. It's my turn. Accept it. Or don't.' And then he started crying, with his head still down, and motioned for a hug, and I gave him a hug." Tori admits that Chaz, who was also heavily involved with racing growing up, was closer to her father before the shooting and still holds the most sway with him, which Chaz is not ashamed to use to their benefit. "When my dad didn't want to do something or he was complaining about something or he was throwing a fit, Tori would say to him, 'Don't make me call Chaz.' And he's like, 'I'll do it. I'll do it,'" says Chaz, laughing. After nearly a year and half of Tori running both her own and her father's business, Tough Coat was sold to new owners in July. It was a decision her father ultimately made, says Tori. "I didn't do anything without my dad knowing. He could think for himself, just a little slower. He didn't want to do the business forever and had been getting offers
before the shooting. I just made sure this business my dad built was going into the right hands." Tori also became the main communicator to others about Brent's recovery. She posted his status and updates on a Facebook page, talking about his progress through oftenemotional videos, including showing her dad in his therapies and celebrating when he reached milestones, such as standing for the first time. “I almost had to post about it, so many people were wondering how my dad was doing. So many people helped us, in so many ways, I had to return the favor,” she says.
Back at home
In August 2019, six months after the shooting, Brent came home. Tori had moved into his house in Alamo Township to help provide full-time care. Brent was now attending physical therapy in Kalamazoo five days a week, and Tori and Dena took turns driving him there. "I really don't know how we'd have done it without Dena. There’s good people in this world,
and then there’s Dena, who is the most selfless person I know,” Tori says. Shortly after he came home, Brent told Chaz to go back to college. "I was like, 'Why do you want me to leave? You need help,'" Chaz recalls. "And my dad says, 'No, I'm good.' And I knew he was." Tori continued to live at her father's house, getting extra help from Dena, who also moved in. Tori was able to resume a full schedule of photography shoots, but when the Covid-19 pandemic began, she decided it was time to move out. "When Covid happened, I was scared that I potentially could give it to my dad, so I moved out, and that was kind of hard at first," she says. "I didn't have to be with him every day, and I really missed him when I wasn't. I still miss him. My life revolved around him, so without him, what was my life?"
Looking forward
It'll be three years this month since Brent Hook was shot. He and Dena married on Feb. 20, 2021. Chaz is back in school in Dearborn,
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hoping to graduate in May. Tori is back at work full time, shooting weddings and portraits. Brent can use his right arm now, and his speech and memory have greatly improved. He continues to do therapy as much as possible, including his own daily regimen at home. Brent, Chaz and Tori share the same goal: having Brent walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding, whenever that is. It makes Brent cry when he talks about it. "I'm working for it, but it's not fast enough for me," he admits. Compounding the problem are limitations imposed by his health insurance on how much therapy it will cover. Brent no longer has physical therapy five days a week, which he and his family believe is necessary to reach his goals. "It's always been a struggle with insurance, trying to get approved,” Tori says. “These people have never met my dad or know what he's capable of. And even the doctors are telling the insurance company that if he doesn't have more therapy, it could be detrimental to his life. If you only work out for four days in a row and then have to wait two weeks to get approval from the insurance company for more therapy, you're back to where you started. It's very deteriorating for him because he has to have something to look forward to. Therapy is his life. It's his job. That's all he has. "There's all these different types of therapies that work on your brain that we haven't been able to try yet because of the costs. I want my dad to be able to walk and do everything he's doing now, but by himself. And he can do most things by himself. I would like him just to be able to get up out of bed or not need assistance doing more intimate things. " Tori talks of having "two dads." Brent looks pretty much the same as he did before the shooting, but it has altered his personality, which isn't all bad, she says. "My dad is so funny now, and he was not that funny before," Tori says. "He thought he was funny before, but this is more of 'nofilter funny.' The things that you think in your head, he says them out loud. I think that makes him a lot happier, and he and Dena are always laughing together."
"Nothing but comedy now," Brent agrees, with a shy smile. But still, Tori misses the dad she knew as a child and young adult. "I have had two dads. My old dad died on Feb. 26th, 2019, and I miss him, but I have a new version and am learning to love him the same," she says. Meanwhile, her father is staunchly committed to his own recovery. Undoubtedly frustrated by the health-care bureaucracy, he is still trying to "hoopty" things to facilitate his own improvement. Each day he gets up, does the physical therapy exercises he can do at home and reads aloud from a book on his iPad to help improve his speech. Brent built his house himself in 1996. He says he wants to replace the carpet with flooring that's easier to roll a wheelchair on and that would allow him to install parallel bars, which have been donated to him, to use to help him walk again. He's emotional when he talks about it — it is hard for the man who described himself as "unstoppable and full of life" to not be able to do these things for himself. And even when his children point out to him just how far he's come, showing him videos of his progress over the last three years, he just shakes his head. "I'm a tough cookie, but I get down sometimes," he admits. "I am a hard worker. I just have to try to do better to get better." And while Brent may see his continued recovery as his job and responsibility, both Chaz and Tori know that bringing him this far has been a labor of love for the many people who care about their family. “At the end of the day, I could never thank everyone for everything,” Tori says. “Nothing went unnoticed, from meals to providing medical equipment to raising money to picking up the slack in areas my dad would normally do for my brother as well as the prayers and for just listening to us. I want to thank the optimistic health-care workers who took care of my dad, and my brother and I too. They gave us the most priceless gift — hope. “And we’re not done yet.“
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TheArts Spotlighting greater Kalamazoo's arts community
Dancing for Joy
Midwest RAD Fest returns to live performances BY KATIE HOUSTON
N
ext month marks two years since arts organizations everywhere began coping with canceled schedules, unemployed artists, empty venues and uncertain funding. But the 41-year-old Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers troupe is emerging flexible and resilient, as is one of its signature annual events, the Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Fest, also known as RAD Fest. The three-day juried event returns to the Epic Center March 4–6 for four dance concerts, featuring 30 modern, post-modern and contemporary works created and performed by upwards of 250 choreographers and dancers from New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, California, Texas, Utah, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina and Michigan. RAD Fest Curator Rachel Miller has been in charge of the festival for the past 10 of its 13 years. Miller, who is an adjunct instructor of dance at Grand Valley State University and co-chair of the dance department at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and has danced for 17 years as a Wellspring company member, says the event was created in 2009 when two Wellspring programs were combined. “One was the Alternative Dance Project, which presented a guest company in an evening-length program. The other was the Dance Forum, which invited guest dancers from the region to perform,” she says. In 2021, RAD Fest was virtual due to Covid-19, although when the months-long process of submissions, adjudication and curation for the festival began in late 2020, 24 | ENCORE FEBRUARY 2022
Bottom: Seyong Kim, the adjudicator for this year's RAD Fest, performs at the festival in 2020. Center: Members of RE|dance Group of Chicago perform at the 2020 festival. (Photos by Robyn Hoing Photography/ Courtesy of Wellspring/Cori Terry and Dancers.) Top: This year marks the third time dancers from Social Movement Contemporary Dance of Houston, Texas, will perform at RAD Fest. (Courtesy photo.)
no one knew how the performances would be presented. As most organizations that pivoted to livestreamed events learned, there were unexpected benefits to going virtual. “As we sold tickets to viewers in seven different countries, we learned we can reach and affect so many people,” Miller says. “What surprised us was the greater level of artist-audience interaction. Perhaps because people were more comfortable engaging virtually, the artist talks, Q&As and panels saw more involvement in contributing to the conversation.”
RAD Fest 2022 The following performances will be presented to audiences at the Wellspring Theater in the Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, and will be livestreamed: • " The Conversation Series: Stitching the Geopolitical Quilt to Re-Body Belonging," a performance by RADicle Resident Artist Helanius Wilkins, 8 p.m. March 4 • P rofessional Artist Series, 7 and 9 p.m. March 5 • Youth Performance, 2 p.m. March 6 The festival will also offer audiences: • S howings of “screendances,” dance works designed to be filmed • Open rehearsals • Lectures • Interactive sessions • An immersive movement installation In addition to performance opportunities, the festival will offer dancers and choreographers: • Master classes • Lectures • Panel discussions • Networking events For the full festival schedule and ticket information, visit MidwestRADFest.org.
This year RAD Fest returns to performances for in-person audiences but will also offer livestreaming. It will also show a selection of “screendances” — works designed to be filmed — by artists from Barbados, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland and the U.S. and will feature a piece created and performed by inaugural RADicle Resident Artist Helanius Wilkins. Wilkins' piece, “The Conversation Series: Stitching the Geopolitical Quilt to Re-Body Belonging,” will be a community-inspired work created out of conversations and movement experiences with local community members. It premieres March 4. Wilkins, an associate chair and professor of dance at the University of Colorado, Boulder, will spend two weeks before the performance convening an intergenerational and multicultural group to share stories and local cultural history. Wilkins plans to replicate the project in each of the 50 U.S. states and have a documentary of the process made. For audiences, RAD Fest offers an array of presentations that include open rehearsals, lectures and interactive sessions. For emerging, professional and experimental dance artists, there will be professionaldevelopment experiences such as master classes, lectures, panel discussions and networking events. “It’s kind of like a dance convention,” Miller says. “I know of several choreographers who have been hired to teach or choreograph because of their work with us." This year choreographer Elijah Alhadi Gibson will participate in RAD Fest for the third time, bringing dancers from his Social Movement Contemporary Dance company from Houston to perform “The Culture,” created in 2021. Gibson has performed and taught throughout the U.S., Europe and South America and was a dancer with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago for eight years. “We are always amazed and inspired by the quality of work being presented at RAD Fest,” Gibson says. “Every year the dancers ask if we will be going and which piece will be submitted, hoping they will get to attend. We consider it a highlight of our season and look forward to sharing our work and seeing others perform.”
Still, the shadow of the pandemic remains, and there will be pandemic-related aspects to the audience experience. In addition to offering livestreaming for online audiences, the festival will require attendees and inperson audience members to wear masks and provide proof of Covid vaccination status (or proof of a recent negative test). “We are planning on the possibility of the dancers performing in masks. After all, we’re breathing hard and sweating all over each other,” Miller says. “But returning to live performances is so important — dance, especially, is something you feel in the moment, in the presence of the dancers.” A RAD Fest youth performance is scheduled for Sunday, March 6, and Miller encourages families to put that concert on their calendar as a way to introduce children to dance performance. “We will have youth artists from throughout Michigan and from Indiana and Kentucky,” she says. Miller also says the festival’s audience has expanded tenfold in the past ten years. “We draw patrons from all over the state, the Midwest and the country, even from out of the country over the years: Ivory Coast, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.” Local restaurants, pubs and hotels appreciate RAD Fest's economic impact on Kalamazoo, as attendees and audience members dine, drink, socialize and stay overnight at local venues. Foundations and other donors also appreciate this impact and are therefore willing to help fund the festival. “What the arts community knows but the public may not understand is that ticket sales are usually the smallest part of an organization’s income, which highlights the importance of local donors and funding organizations,” explains Wellspring Executive Director Kate Yancho. But Miller says knowing RAD Fest has made an impact on the wider world is also gratifying. She recalls a point about halfway through her tenure when she visited Germany for a dance event in 2015. “People were asking me what I did, and I told them I curated this dance festival in the U.S., in a place called Michigan, and they had heard of us. It was so exciting.”
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TheArts Acting Shakespeare
Feb. 10–13 Kalamazoo College Festival Playhouse Kalamazoo College senior Matthew Swarthout will undertake Sir Ian McKellen’s one-person show Acting Shakespeare as part of the Playhouse's Senior Performance Series. This show will encompass both Swarthout’s and McKellen’s insights into Shakespeare’s plays, featuring monologues and scenes from Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth and more. The show will be staged at Kalamazoo College's Dungeon Theatre, 139 Thompson St. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10–12 and 7:30 and 2 p.m. Feb. 13. Tickets are $5, or free for Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff with their identification, and are available at festivalplayhouse.ludus.com.
The Lifespan of a Fact Feb. 11–27 Farmers Alley Theatre
The old adage "Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story" is at the heart of this dramatic comedy. It centers on Jim Ringal, a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent yet sinking magazine who goes toe-to-toe with a talented writer over the writer’s literary-nonfiction essay about the suicide of a teen boy. “I’m not interested in accuracy,” says the writer. “I’m interested in truth.” The show, directed by D. Terry Williams, stars Myles Schwarz as fact checker Jim, Laurie Carter Rose as editor Emily, and Paul Stroili as writer John D'Agata. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11–12, 17–19 and 24–26 and 2 p.m. Feb. 13, 20 and 27 at Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley. Tickets are $35 and available online at farmersalleytheatre.com or by calling the box office at 343-2727.
The Piano Lesson Feb. 15–March 6 Parish Theatre
This Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson is about Boy Willie, a young man who has the opportunity to buy land down South but needs to come up with the money. He goes to Pittsburgh to see his sister, hoping she will let him sell an old piano that has been in their family for generations. She has already rejected several offers because the antique piano is covered with incredible carvings detailing the family's rise from slavery. Boy Willie tries to persuade his stubborn sister that the past is past, but she is more formidable than he anticipated. The play at the Civic’s Parish Theatre is directed by Anthony J. Hamilton and features the Civic debuts of Delanti Hall, in the lead role of Boy Willie, and Khadijah Brown, as his sister Berniece. Longtime local thespian Sid Ellis plays Wining Boy, one of the play’s primary storytellers. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25–26 and March 4–5 and 2 p.m. Feb. 27 and March 6. Tickets are $17–28 and available at kazoocivic.com or by calling the Civic’s box office at 343-1313.
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THEATER Yellowman Feb. 18–20 Face Off Theatre
Murder on the Orient Express Feb. 11–20 The Civic Theatre
The famous Agatha Christie novel will come to life this month at the Civic Theatre, 329 S. Park St. The play follows the drama when a luxurious train gets stopped by a snowdrift just after midnight, but by morning there is one less living passenger on board. Dan Coyne stars in the lead role of Detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates the passengers on the train, who all become suspects in the murder. Adapted for stage by playwright Ken Ludwig, the play stays true to Christie's book while adding humor to quicken the pace. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11–12 and 18–19 and 2 p.m. Feb. 13 and 20. Tickets are $17–$28 and available at kazoocivic.com or by calling the Civic’s box office at 343-1313.
Blacks + Phats
Feb. 24–27 Kalamazoo College Festival Playhouse The Playhouse will present playwright Kevin Renn's satirical vignette play about Black cultural issues, body image, fetishism and the representation of these in modern society. This comedy touches on themes like beauty ideals, relationship dynamics and levels of attraction. This production is directed by Janai Lashon. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24–26 and 2 p.m. Feb. 27 in the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St. Tickets are $5–$15, or free for Kalamazoo students, faculty and staff with identification, and are available at festivalplayhouse.ludus.com
An exploration of colorism, the skin-tone prejudice that exists among and between black people in America and that often manifests as selfhatred for being dark-skinned, is the focus of this drama that will be staged at the Dormouse Theatre, 1030 Portage St. Set in South Carolina, the play follows the lives of Alma and Eugene, friends since childhood who fall in love as they grow older. The complex and pain-filled narrative is acted out by two actors playing multiple roles, including people in Alma’s and Eugene’s families. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 and 19 and 2 p.m. Feb. 19 and 20. For ticket information, visit faceofftheatre.com.
Other Theater Performances Art
Through Feb. 6 Carver Center
The Old Man and the Old Moon Through Feb. 6 WMU Theatre
For more theater events seen the Theater section of our Events of Note, on page 32.
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TheArts
MUSIC Legends
Feb. 18 Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra Violinist Bobby Boogyeom Park, the 2021 bronze medalist of the Stulberg International String Competition, will join some of the area's most talented young musicians as the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra performs its spring concert, Legends, at Chenery Auditorium, 714 S. Westnedge Ave. The KJSO, led by Andrew Koehler, is made up of young musicians from Kalamazoo and surrounding communities in nine counties. This concert will feature works by Emilie Mayer, Felix Mendelssohn and Alexander Borodin. Park will perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. Tickets for the 4 p.m. show are $5–$15 and available online at kjso.org. Masks are required for those attending the concert.
Bobby Park
Apollo5
Love Is (Volume 5) Feb. 22 Kalamazoo Bach Festival
The British vocal ensemble Apollo5 will be just one of several special guests to perform with Kalamazoo Bach Festival singers at the festival’s Feb. 22 concert at Kalamazoo College's Dalton Theatre, 2300 Academy St. This is the fifth year that the festival has presented a Love Is concert, featuring choral groups in an eclectic tribute to love. In addition to Apollo5, the concert will include the Bach Festival Chorus, the Kalamazoo Male Chorus and the Kalamazoo College Singers. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. online and in person. Tickets are $5–$29 for the in-person performance and $19 for the livestream on YouTube. Proof of vaccination and masks are required for those attending the in-person performance. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit kalamazoobachfestival.org.
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial Feb. 18 Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Bring your tissues for what promises to be a moving presentation of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the 1982 film about the relationship be-tween a young boy and a visitor from another planet. The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra will perform composer John Williams’ Academy Award-winning score live as the movie plays above the orchestra. The movie, which was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, was added to the United States' National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1994. The show begins at 7 p.m. in Miller Auditorium. Ticket prices are $5–$56 and available online at kalamazoosymphony.com. Proof of vaccination and masks are required; children under the age of 12 are permitted to attend with a vaccinated guardian and must follow the masking policy.
For more music events, see the Music section of our Events of Note, on page 32. 28 | ENCORE FEBRUARY 2022
Arty's Zooseum
VISUAL ARTS
Through March 6 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts An exhibition geared for children but fun for all family members, Arty's Zooseum encourages patrons to explore, ask questions and play an "I-Spy" Art Terms game. Curated by Arty Mouse, the preschool character who teaches learning concepts through art, the works in the exhibition all come from the KIA's collection. KIA hours are 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Wednesday–Saturday and noon–4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, or $2 for students and free for members as well as children through age 12, school groups and active military personnel. All visitors, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask when visiting the KIA. For more information, visit kiarts.org.
The Illustrated Accordion
Opens Feb. 4 Kalamazoo Book Arts Center The concept of books as visual art will be at the heart of The Illustrated Accordion exhibition at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center , 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave. The exhibition, set for Feb. 4–March 25, focuses on books created in the accordion form, in which a long piece of paper is folded into pages that can be read like a book or spread open and displayed like a banner. This non-juried exhibition will include works by book artists from across the globe. The KBAC gallery is open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday. For more information, visit kalbookarts.org/events.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS Vistas: Visions of China, Japan and Korea Through Feb. 6 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Art Drawn from Nature Through Feb. 27 Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kirk Newman Art School Faculty Review Through March 13 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Art Hop
Feb. 4 Downtown Kalamazoo Following a theme of Chinese New Year this month, this free event will feature a variety of artists' work in various locations in downtown Kalamazoo as well as live music and the chance to visit downtown businesses. Art Hop runs from 6–8 p.m., and the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo has an app that provides a guide and map of Art Hop sites, information about participating artists, and walking directions. For more information or to access the app, visit kalamazooarts.org.
Africa, Imagined: Reflections on Modern and Contemporary Art Through May 1 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
For more visual art exhibitions and events, see the Visual Arts section of our Events of Note, on page 33.
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TheArts DANCE
Poets in Print Feb. 19 Via Zoom
Winter Gala Dance Concert Feb. 18–20 WMU Department of Dance
Choreography created by professionals as well as by faculty and students will be featured in this event of Western Michigan University's Department of Dance. Students will perform dances by Great Works Dance choreographer Tsai Hsi Hung as well as by guest artists Penny Saunders and Marisa Bianan. Works will include ballet, jazz, modern and contemporary dance styles. Show times are 8 p.m. Feb. 18 and19 and 2 p.m. Feb. 19 and 20 at Shaw Theatre, on the WMU campus. For ticket information, visit wmich.edu/dance/events.
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Two award-winning poets, Iliana Rocha and Eloisa Amezcua, will present virtual readings of their work as part of the Kalamazoo Book Arts llianna Rocha Eloisa Amezcua Center's Poet in Print series. Rocha, who earned a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from Western Michigan University, is the 2019 winner of the Berkshire Prize for a First or Second Book of Poetry for her newest collection, The Many Deaths of Inocencio Rodriguez, forthcoming from Tupelo Press. Her debut collection, Karankawa, won the 2014 AWP Donald Hall Prize for Poetry. She is poetry co-editor of Waxwing Literary Journal and an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Amezcua's debut collection, From the Inside Quietly, is the inaugural winner of the Shelterbelt Poetry Prize, selected by Ada Limón. She is also a MacDowell Fellow, the author of three chapbooks, and founder and editor-in-chief of The Shallow Ends: A Journal of Poetry. Her second collection of poems, Fighting is Like a Wife, is forthcoming from Coffee House Press. Amezcua lives in Columbus, Ohio, and is the founder of Costura Creative, a talent agency representing contemporary poets and writers. To access the Zoom link for the 7 p.m. reading and get more information, visit kalbookarts.org/events/feb2022pip/. For other literary events, see the Literature Events section of our Events of Note, on page 34.
LITERATURE News as it should be Pundits sit alone in their rooms, faces hanging like pale moons as the anchor relays the day’s headlines from his basement, family sailing overhead, only the cat creeping down. The meteorologist, clouds and coffee for company, forecasts a rainy day from his kitchen. Cut to the analyst. She’s lit a candle and turned on her fireplace, though she still comes off as cold, lips red as sleds slicing through snow-white teeth. I want to keep receiving news from the correspondent hunkered in her parents’ living room. A cuckoo exits his chalet, weak song blooming from beak, announcing the passing of time. After this is over, I want to keep reading rooms, curl up like Lisa Desjardins’ cat, Rocky, and yawn indifferently as reporters cover wars from home, watch shadows fold and unfold. Over the ottoman, a blanket is artfully draped. Easy to imagine the room askew moments before airtime, someone plumping pillows, picking up newspapers, a stray shoe. It’s comforting to witness common dramas play out: a dog barks, a doorbell rings, sirens scream. Interviewees abruptly leave their sofas to open doors and close windows. Hope lurks in corners and dusty shelves. An old man being interviewed in his study shifts, and a photo of a younger him appears. Framed in gold, he’s wearing a bow tie and lifting his bride, her dress streaking across the sky. Behind another, a map of the world splayed flat before us, the weary watchers. But we are here. We are all here.
Clark, who is intrigued by how the pandemic has changed the way we experience the news, is a native and current resident of Kalamazoo. She is also the author of the children's book What Do You See in Room 21 C? and of three full-length poetry collections, most recently A Beginner's Guide to Heaven. Her next book, Kissing the World Goodbye, will be published in March by Unsolicited Press. It ventures into the world of memoir, braiding family tales with recipes.
T heArts
is published in partnership and funding provided by
— Jennifer Clark
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EVENTS ENCORE
PERFORMING ARTS THEATER Plays
The Old Man and the Old Moon — The moon’s sole caretaker must choose between his duty and rescuing his missing wife, presented by WMU Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3–5, 2 p.m. Feb. 6, Gilmore Theatre Complex, WMU, 387-6222, wmich.edu/theatre. Art — A humorous discussion by three old friends about an artwork takes a dark turn, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4–5, 2 p.m. Feb. 6, Carver Center Studio, 426 S. Park St., 343-1313, kazoocivic.com. That Golden Girls Show! — A parody classic using puppets to reenact popular Golden Girls moments, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9, Miller Auditorium, millerauditorium.com. Acting Shakespeare — Kalamazoo College senior Matthew Swarthout performs this oneperson show offering insight into Shakespeare plays, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10–12, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
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. Feb. 13, Dungeon Theatre, 139 Thompson St., kzoo.edu/festivalplayhouse.
Feb. 27, Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St., kzoo.edu/festivalplayhouse.
The Lifespan of a Fact — A fresh-out-ofHarvard fact checker for a magazine struggles with facts versus truth, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11–12, Feb. 17–19, Feb. 24–26, 2 p.m. Feb. 13, 20, & 27, Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley, farmersalleytheatre.com.
The Piano Lesson — The Civic presents this August Wilson drama about family and the legacy of slavery that follows the conflict between Boy Willie, his sister Berniece and the family’s heirloom piano, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25–26 and March 4–5, 2 p.m. Feb. 27 & March 6, Parish Theatre, 426 S. Park St., 3431313, kazoocivic.com.
Murder on the Orient Express — An adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic about a train that’s stopped by a snowdrift just after midnight but by morning has one less living passenger, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11–12 & Feb. 18–19, 2 p.m. Feb. 13 & Feb. 20, Civic Theatre, 329 S. Park St., 343-1313, kazoocivic.com. Yellowman — Face Off Theatre Company presents this two-actor, multi-character play about an African-American woman who dreams of life beyond the confines of her smalltown Southern upbringing, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 & 19, 2 p.m. Feb. 19 & 20, Dormouse Theatre, 1030 Portage St.; in-person and virtual tickets available, faceofftheatre.com. Blacks + Phats — Kalamazoo College's presentation of Kevin Renn's satirical, vignette play about Black cultural issues, body image, fetishism and the representation of these in modern society, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24–26 and 2 p.m.
Musicals
Menopause The Musical— Four women at a lingerie sale have nothing in common but black lace, memory loss and hot flashes, set to tunes from the ’60s, ’70s and‘80s, 2 p.m. Feb. 12, Miller Auditorium, millerauditorium.com. Waitress — Inspired by the 2007 film of the same name, this musical tells the story of Jenna, an expert piemaker who dreams of a way out of her small town, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 & 23, Miller Auditorium, millerauditorium.com. DANCE Winter Gala Dance Concert — Presented by Western Michigan University Department of Dance, 8 p.m. Feb. 17–19, 2 p.m. Feb. 20, Shaw Theatre, WMU, wmich.edu/dance/events. MUSIC Bands & Solo Artists Cody Johnson with Easton Corbin — Country music, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4, Wings Event Center, 3600 Vanrick Drive, wingseventcenter.com. Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Back Room Concerts — Lady Ace Boogie, Feb. 5; Mungion w/ Stormy Chromer, Feb. 18; That Arena Rock Show, Feb. 19; Gaelic Storm, Feb. 22; CBDB, Feb. 26; all shows begin at 8 p.m., Bell’s Back Room, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 382–2332, bellsbeer.com. Lucinda Williams and Her Band — The threetime Grammy Award-winning blues singer/ songwriter, 8 p.m. Feb. 12, State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick St., kazoostate.com. 1964 The Tribute — A Beatles tribute band, 8 p.m. Feb. 19, State Theatre, kazoostate.com. Orchestra, Chamber, Jazz, Vocal & More Saxophonist Henning Schröder and pianist Yu-Lien The — 1 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU; pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. and livestream available for 7:30 p.m. concert, 387-4678, wmich.edu/music/events.
Evaluation & Care of Trees and Shrubs Kalamazoo, MI • 269-381-5412 • www.arboristserviceskzoo.com 32 | ENCORE FEBRUARY 2022
University Jazz Orchestra and Lab Band — 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3, Dalton Center Recital Hall, with livestream available, 387-4678, wmich.edu/ music/events. University Symphony Orchestra — 8 p.m. Feb. 5, Miller Auditorium, wmich.edu/music/events.
ENCORE EVENTS Faculty and Guest Recital — Chris Biggs live electronics and saxophonist Ben SchmidtSwartz, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, Dalton Center Recital Hall, with livestream available, 387-4678, wmich. edu/music/events. Western Winds — 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15, Dalton Center Recital Hall, with livestream available, 387-4678, wmich.edu/music/events.
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial — Steven Spielberg’s cinematic masterpiece with John Williams’ Academy Award-winning score performed live by the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, 7 p.m. Feb. 18, Miller Auditorium, kalamazoosymphony.com. University Wind Symphony and Concert Band — 3 p.m. Feb. 20, Miller Auditorium, wmich. edu/music/events.
Legends — The Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra with Stulberg 2021 Bronze Medalist Bobby Boogyeom Park, 4 p.m. Feb. 20, Chenery Auditorium, 714 S. Westnedge Ave., 349-7557, kjso.org. University Symphonic Band — 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21, Miller Auditorium, wmich.edu/music/events.
Love Is (Volume 5) — A tribute to love presented by the Kalamazoo Bach Festival and featuring the British vocal ensemble Apollo5, the Bach Festival Chorus, Kalamazoo Male Chorus and Kalamazoo College Singers, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, Dalton Theatre, Kalamazoo College, with online option available, kalamazoobachfestival.org. Violinist Sang Mee Lee — 1 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23, Dalton Center Recital Hall, with preconcert talk at 7 p.m. and livestream available for 7:30 p.m. show, 387-4678, wmich.edu/music/ events.
Arty’s Zooseum — Arty Mouse’s exhibition of art for the young and the young at heart, through March 6. Kirk Newman Art School Faculty Review — Biannual exhibition showcasing more than 40 Southwest Michigan artists, through March 13. Africa, Imagined: Reflections on Modern and Contemporary Art — A curated combination of modern and contemporary works to explore escapism, social inquiry and cultural reclamation, through May 1. Unveiling American Genius — Abstract and contemporary works from the KIA’s permanent collection, emphasizing stories that African American, Latinx and other artists have told about our cultures, art and history, through December. Events Please check the website for information regarding ticket options for online or in-person viewing. ARTbreak — Programs about art, artists and exhibitions: Africa, Imagined with Chief Curator Rehema Barber, a presentation about the artists and works featured in the KIA’s current exhibition, Feb. 8; Hidden Women of Color with Jerome and Delma Washington, meet the minds behind the art project depicting a series of portraits of African American women who lived
from 1744–1996, Feb. 22; both sessions begin at noon in the KIA Auditorium. An Evening with Conrad Egyir — The artist whose works came to national attention after appearing in Beyonce’s 2020 summer visual album and film, Black is King, 6–8:30 p.m. Feb. 10. Book Discussion — Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, 2 p.m. Feb. 16. Screendances with RAD Fest — Rachel Miller shares films from the 2022 Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival, with a brief talk and discussion, 6–7:30 p.m. Feb. 24. Other Venues
Art Drawn from Nature — Eight local artists exhibit paintings, prints, vessels and sculpture representing the natural world, to celebrate the renovation and reopening of the Kalamazoo Nature Center’s Visitors Center, through Feb. 27, KNC, 7000 N. Westnedge Ave. Art Hop — Displays of art at various locations with the theme “Chinese New Year,” 5–8 p.m. Feb. 4, downtown Kalamazoo, 342–5059, kalamazooarts.org.
The Illustrated Accordion — A non-juried exhibition of accordion-style books by emerging and established artists, Feb. 4–March 25, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Suite 103A, 373-4938, kalbookarts.org.
A world of cheese, curated wines, and all the accompaniments.
Choral Showcase — Featuring Amphion, Anima and University Chorale, 3 p.m. Feb. 27, First Baptist Church, 315 W. Michigan, wmich.edu/ music/events. COMEDY Letterkenny — The stars of the Canadian sitcom present a 90-minute comedy experience, 8 p.m. Feb. 4, Miller Auditorium, millerauditorium.com. FILM
Moulin Rouge — The 2001 musical film presented by the Kalamazoo Film Society and 106.5 FM, 9 p.m. Feb. 11, State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick St., kazoostate.com. VISUAL ARTS Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S. Park St., 349-7775, kiarts.org Exhibitions
Vistas: Visions of China, Japan and Korea — Depictions of landscapes in Asia dating back thousands of years, in a variety of media, through Feb. 6.
The Cheese Lady Kalamazoo, 7035 West Q Avenue
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EVENTS ENCORE LIBRARY & LITERARY EVENTS Comstock Township Library 6130 King Highway, 345-0136, comstocklibrary.org Discovery Kits — Learn a new skill or hobby with bags that contain all of the materials to learn birdwatching, journaling, crocheting, knitting, macrame, metal stamping, origami, cake shapes, woodburning, postcard embroidery, therapy light and metal detecting. Book Club in a Bag — Start a book discussion with a bag that includes multiple copies of a book and discussion questions that can be checked out for up to six weeks. Kalamazoo Public Library 553-7800, kpl.gov Page Turners Book Club — Zoom discussion of The Light Perpetual, by Francis Spufford, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7; registration required. Visual Storytelling — Learn to draw from the mind’s eye with the power of words from Aubrey Jewel Rodgers, animation/game art program coordinator and graphic arts instructor at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, 11 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. Feb. 12, Van Deusen Room, Central Library, 315 S. Rose St.; registration required. Books and Bellies — Join Healthy Babies Healthy Start of Kalamazoo for an online book talk for expecting parents and connect with parenting
resources in our community, 10:30 a.m. Feb. 15, with a pre-recorded program available on KPL TV on and after the date of this event, kpl.gov/videos. Classics Revisited — Discussion of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 17, Boardroom, Central Library, 315 S. Rose St. Healthy Soul Food — Kama Mitchell demonstrates healthy cooking for Black health and wellness, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 21; can be viewed on KPL Live, kpl.gov/live, Channel 1, at the time of the event. Urban Fiction Book Club — Discussion of You Saved Me: Standalone, by Jay Tha Writer, 6 p.m. Feb. 22, Alma Powell Branch, 1000 W. Paterson St.; registration required. National African American Read-In — Making literacy a significant part of Black History Month, 4–7 p.m. Feb. 28, Eastwood Branch, 1112 Gayle Ave.; registration required. Parchment Community Library 401 S. Riverview Drive, 343-7747, parchmentlibrary.org Film & Discussion — Red Metal: The Copper Country Strike of 1913, part of the Great Michigan Read, 6 p.m. Feb. 7. Parchment Book Group — The Women of the Copper Country, by Mary Doria Russell, part of the Great Michigan Read, 6 p.m. Feb. 14.
A Simple Guide to Black Holes — Presented by Michael Sinclair of the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center and the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society, 6 p.m. Feb. 15. Mystery Book Club — Discussion of The Unquiet Bones, by Mel Starr, 4 p.m. Feb. 21. Portage District Library 329-4544, portagedistrictlibrary.info The library is temporarily offering services at 5528 Portage Road while the building at 300 Library Lane is closed for renovations. Muffins and the Market — Discuss recent market trends and resources with librarian Warren Fritz, 9 a.m. Feb. 3 & 17; attend in-person or virtually, with registration required. International Mystery Book Discussion — Discussion of Six Four, by Hideo Yokoyama, 7 p.m. Feb. 10; attend in-person or virtually, with registration required. Open for Discussion — Drop-in discussion of The Best We Could Do, by Thi Bui, 10:30 a.m. Feb. 15; registration required. Documentary and Donuts — Watch Freedom Riders and take home locally made donuts, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16; registration required. Richland Community Library 8951 Park St., 629-9085, richlandlibrary.org
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Winter Movie Challenge — Watch one movie per prompt from the challenge card and return the completed card for a chance to win a prize, through Feb. 25; cards are available online or at the library. Adult Winter Reading Challenge — Read one book per continent and return the completed map for a chance to win a prize, through Feb. 28. Art & Music — An immersive display about the connection between sound and art, Feb. 1–25.
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34 | ENCORE FEBRUARY 2022
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Michael Dunn Artist Reception — Meet this artist whose work focuses on plants and life in his garden, with light refreshments served, 5–7 p.m. Feb. 10. Books with Friends Book Club — Zoom discussion of Meet Me at the Museum, by Anne Youngson, 7–8 p.m. Feb. 17; registration required. Trivial Pursuit Trivia Night — February’s theme is science and nature, 7–8 p.m. Feb. 24; registration required. Writing Your Memoir: How to Get Started — Zoom discussion led by Diana Raab, author of Writing for Bliss, 7–8 p.m. March 2; registration required. Other Venues
Poets in Print — Iliana Rocha and Eloisa Amezcua read from their works in this virtual event, 7 p.m. Feb. 19, via Zoom, kalbookarts.org.
ENCORE EVENTS Kalamazoo Valley Museum 230 N. Rose St., 373-7990, kalamazoomuseum.org
Storytelling Festival: A Celebration of Time! — In online presentations, storytellers from across the globe tell tales of traditions, the importance of relationship and the movement toward peace, freedom and purpose, through March 20. Toys: The Inside Story — Explore the inner workings of toys and create your own toy-like combinations of gears, pulleys, linkages, cams and circuits, through May 1. The Forgotten Fights of the Kalamazoo Boxing Academy — Traces the history of the academy while focusing on fighters who recount their personal experiences, Feb. 5–Sept. 18. Filling in the Gaps: the Art of Murphy Darden — Online exhibit on Kalamazoo resident Murphy Darden, who explores local history, civil rights and America’s forgotten black cowboys, kvmexhibits.org/murphy-darden. Close to Home: The Walker Brothers — Online exhibit on Ryan and Keith Walker, who were afflicted with the rare genetic disorder Hunter syndrome, and their impact on family, friends and civil rights in Kalamazoo, kvmexhibits. org/2020/walkerbrothers. NATURE Kellogg Bird Sanctuary 12685 East C Ave., Augusta, 671-2510, birdsanctuary@kbs.msu.edu Birds and Coffee Chat Online — February chat will discuss owls, including barred, Eastern screech, snowy, barn and great horned owls, 10 a.m. Feb. 9; registration required.
Other Venues Kalamazoo Astronomical Society General Meeting and Speaker — Jay Pasachoff will speak on upcoming solar eclipses, 7–9:10 p.m. Feb. 4 via Zoom; cloud date, Feb. 27; register at kasonline.org. Winter Snow Party — Sledding, snowman building contest, a bonfire and hot cocoa for purchase, noon–3 p.m. Feb. 5, Oakland Drive Park, 7650 Oakland Drive, portagemi.gov/calendar. Ranger Hike: Winter Homes — Join park staff for a wintry hike to discover animals’ winter homes, 2 p.m. Feb. 13, West Lake Nature Preserve, 9001 S. Westnedge Ave.; registration required, portagemi.gov/calendar. Valentine’s Day Skate — Private skate with live music and a heart-shaped pizza dinner on the ice, 7–9 p.m. Feb. 14, 280 Romence Road; registration required by Feb. 9, portagemi.gov/calendar. Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary Visit — Live reptiles, including alligators, lizards, tortoises and a snake, 10 a.m. Feb. 19, Schrier Park, 850 W. Osterhout Ave., portagemi.gov/calendar; registration required. Kalamazoo Astronomical Society Online Viewing — Enjoy the wonders of the universe through the “eyes” of the KAS Remote Telescope, 9–11 p.m. Feb. 26 via Zoom; cloud date, Feb. 27; register at kasonline.org. MISCELLANEOUS Kalamazoo Winter Market — Formerly the Bank Street Winter Market, this market features produce and artisan wares, 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturdays, through April 30, St. Joseph Catholic Church gymnasium, 930 Lake St., kzooparks.org/ farmersmarket. Kalamazoo Craft Beverage Week — Learn about local brewers, distillers and winemakers
at events hosted by local restaurants and retail establishments, through Feb. 6, kalamazoocraftbeverageweek.com. Ten Little-Known Facts — Discover memorable moments and courageous stories in Black history, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Feb. 1–28, Portage City Hall Atrium, 7900 S. Westnedge Ave., portagemi.gov/calendar. KAARC Winter Auto Swap Meet — Over 200 vendors offering parts, accessories and memorabilia in this event of the Kalamazoo Antique Auto Restorers Club, 2–6 p.m. Feb. 4, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Feb. 5, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St., kaarc.org. Black History Month Presentation: Shoshana Johnson — The first Black American female prisoner of war and author of I’m Still Standing: From Captured Soldier to Free Citizen — My Journey Home, will speak, with book signing to follow, 6–8 p.m. Feb. 5, Air Zoo, 6151 Portage Road, portagemi.gov/calendar. Shipshewana on the Road — Gift, food and craft show with nearly 220 booths, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Feb. 19, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Feb. 20, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, shipshewanaontheroad.com. Kalamazoo Reptile & Exotic Pet Expo — Buy, sell or trade a variety of reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and other exotic pets, plus supplies & food, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Feb. 26, Kalamazoo County Expo Center South, kalamazooreptileexpo.com. Winter Blast Half Marathon, 10K & 5K — 10th annual event in partnership with Kalamazoo Area Runners, Susan G. Komen Michigan and the city of Portage, 8 a.m. Feb. 27, Loy Norrix High School, 606 E. Kilgore Road; registration required, portagemi.gov/calendar. Kalamazoo Chili Cookoff — Sample chili from more than a dozen downtown businesses as part of Kalamazoo Restaurant Week, 4–8 p.m. Feb. 27, downtownkalamazoo.org/events.
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ENCORE BACK STORY Lana Hoffman (continued from page 38) get one cat for myself. When I saw how many cats were there, I was shocked. I started volunteering and then decided to take a few cats to the boutique because the shelter was so jam-packed. People started coming into the boutique to see the cats. I usually had about five or six cats rotating through there. People would get to know the cats and then start the adoption process for them through the animal shelter. It was not like I was just giving away cats. Everyone was vetted, and the cats went to good homes. (Hoffman's foster cats are no longer in her boutique, but she keeps a photo of them up by the register for interested patrons.) You were initially a teacher. What made you switch gears to open a line of boutiques? When I arrived in Kalamazoo in 2000, teaching positions were harder to come by. I taught for a few years but never found the right spot. At the same time, I saw a market in Kalamazoo that was ready for a high-end boutique. I believed the shoppers, especially the college kids, would like an option that was not the mall or a bigbox store. (Her shop, now on the Kalamazoo Mall, is called Lana’s Boutique, as is her shop on State Street in St. Joseph.) How did you break into the local music scene? I started doing shows at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre and was fortunate to portray Patsy Cline in A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline. The Civic was pivotal in my singing career in Kalamazoo. Not only did I meet some of my best friends I still have to this day, but I also worked with many talented musicians, and that opened a lot of doors. Performing live shows quickly became my passion, and I found myself singing at quite a few venues downtown, including Webster’s, the Union and many more. In 2010 I was approached about doing A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline again at Farmers Alley Theatre. Of course, I was delighted to do it and work with the many talented artists and staff of that theater. My jazz performance continues to grow and evolve to this day, and each new opportunity is a delight.
Today I can say that I perform with some of the top musicians in the area, which helps my voice and style constantly grow and evolve. You’ve played Patsy Cline twice now. Have you always been a fan of hers? Patsy Cline was probably my No. 1 influence growing up. I used to sing a lot more country, and she is what inspired me. Her song "Crazy" is perhaps my most requested song. What is your favorite part of performing? Making a connection with the audience I’m performing for at each show. I love reeling the audience in and making them feel something. It’s a great feeling to sing a song to the point where it catches someone’s attention and moves them. I enjoy keying in to what the audience wants to hear and then just nailing it. Your boutiques and music career both survived scary times around 2008 and through Covid. What are you looking forward to as things start coming back? Looking at the music scene, we have lost quite a few venues because of Covid, but more and more are opening up. I think people are hungry for live music and being social. Music is universal, and it helps heal. I’m hopeful something new will come in and take over the vacant spot that was The Union. That place was essential to the Kalamazoo music scene. I hope Southwest Michigan keeps growing in the right direction as far as the boutiques. Downtown Kalamazoo was hit pretty hard during Covid, but several of us did survive, and there have been quite a few new businesses recently. I’m hoping people will continue to support local businesses, because local businesses hire local people and really give back to the community. Lana’s Boutique customers have always stepped up, and many were concerned and wanted me to stay in business. It makes me hopeful that all small businesses can start to thrive again. — Interview by Julie Smith, edited for length and clarity
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BACK STORY ENCORE
Lana Hoffman
Entrepreneur, singer and cat lover L
ana Hoffman never quits. No matter what’s thrown at her, she charges forward. As the owner of a successful chain of local designer boutiques, a professional singer, and a hero to cats, she has secured her spot as a triple threat in the two decades that she has called Kalamazoo home. Born and raised in Illinois, Hoffman arrived in Kalamazoo with the idea of being a teacher. But life had other plans, and before she knew it she had made a name for herself as a professional singer performing with the Lana Hoffman Trio and at the Kalamazoo Civic and Farmers Alley theaters, had opened boutiques in Kalamazoo, Saugatuck and St. Joseph and a pop-up trailer boutique, and had fostered about 400 cats. Since then, she has scaled down to two boutiques (in downtown Kalamazoo and St. Joseph) but has not slowed down. In the following interview, she talks about her varied endeavors. Four hundred cats? Honestly, I lost track a few years ago at around 350, so 400 is my best guess. I started by fostering a few at my original boutique on Western Michigan University's campus. In 2008, I had experienced a lot of personal loss and went to Kalamazoo County Animal Services thinking that I would (continued on page 37)
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