Up Front

First Things

Please Note: Due to the COVID–19 virus, some of these events may have been cancelled after press time. Please check with the venue and organizations for up-to-date information.

Something Musical Virtual Gilmore features rising pianist

Despite COVID-19, the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival is still bringing first-class pianists to Kalamazoo. But instead of seeing them perform live on stage, you can see their performances live-streamed to your living room.

South Korean pianist Chaeyoung Park, winner of the 2019 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, will perform at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 as part of The Gilmore’s Rising Stars Series. Among the works the 22-year-old will play is Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5. Park will also answer live questions after the concert.

Tickets are available on a “name your own price” basis and can be purchased at thegilmore.org.

Thomas Brunot

Something Important Symposium examines Black mental health

Systemic racism, the historical roots of trauma, and school-induced anxiety and depression are among the topics to be discussed during a two-day online symposium Oct. 15-16. The event, titled “Breaking the Stigma: African American Mental Health Symposium,” will take place from 8:30 a.m.—noon each day via Webex and will provide an examination of the stigmas affecting African Americans. The keynote speakers will be Dr. Rajiv Tandon, professor and chairman of psychiatry at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, on Oct. 15 and Kevin Fischer, executive director of the Michigan affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), on Oct. 16.

The event is sponsored by the WMU College of Health and Human Services and The Synergy Health Center, and the cost is $75. To register, visit wmich.edu/events/60799.

Something Nostalgic See the cars of American Graffiti

If you’ve seen the film American Graffiti, then you know the stars of that blockbuster 1973 movie were the cars. And now you can see several of those iconic automobiles in a new exhibit at the Gilmore Car Museum — Where Were You in ’62?.

The exhibit, which runs until spring, features memorabilia from the 1950s and ‘60s, including a jukebox playing music from the era, alongside a diner booth. On display is the 1958 customized Chevrolet Impala that actor Ron Howard drove in the movie, which is on loan to the museum from NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Ray Evernham, as well as a 1932 Deuce Coupe hobbyist-built tribute car, a 1956 white Ford Thunderbird and a 1958 Edsel Pacer four-door hardtop.

The museum is located at 6865 W. Hickory Road in Hickory Corners. Its hours are 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday and 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $16 for adults and $11 for youth ages 11-17. Children 10 and younger and active military members are admitted free. For more information, visit gilmorecarmuseum.org.

Something Bony SkeleTour returns to downtown Kalamazoo

Here’s a fun reason to get outside and take a walk — SkeleTour hits the sidewalks of downtown Kalamazoo again this October.

During the month-long SkeleTour, downtown streets are adorned with skeletons representing local businesses. You can enjoy the creativity and genius of the creators of the skeletons, which run the gamut from creepy and scary to funny and silly. And don’t forget to look up: Last year there were skeletons hanging onto the sides of buildings.

For more information, visit downtownkalamazoo.org/event/ skeletour.

Something Spooky Portage plans drive-in Monster Mash

Portage is offering an evening of trick-or-treating, a spooky forest and a movie — all of which can be taken in from the comfort of your car — at its Monster Mash Oct. 17.

The event runs from 3–7 p.m. at Ramona Park, 8600 S. Sprinkle Road, and will be entirely drive-in style. Driving through the forest and trick-or-treating will be followed by a drive-in movie screening of Hocus Pocus at sunset. The event is free, but parking will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning at 3 p.m.

For more information, visit mypark.portagemi.gov.

Something Soothing Festival offers meditative music

Not to be daunted by COVID-19, the Connecting Chords Music Festival will bring its soothing music to audiences this month.

Throughout the month, the Resonance Music Project will be featured at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S. Park St. The project features short recorded works by local musicians in response to selected artwork from the KIA's Unveiling American Genius exhibit.

Also, on Oct. 17, cellist Elizabeth Start and drummer Eric Donovan Lester will present concerts at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 230 N. Rose St.

The Connecting Chords festival is presented by the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music. Ticket prices for events vary. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit mfsm.us or call 382-2910.

Something Theatrical WMU stages show outdoors

It won’t be in a park, but you can enjoy an outdoor production of Sunday in the Park with George Oct. 1-4 at Western Michigan University’s Miller Fountain Plaza, in front of the Richmond Center for Visual Arts.

WMU Theatre will present the musical, which was inspired by the painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, by Georges Seurat. It tells the story of George, a fictionalized version of Seurat, who immerses himself deeply in painting his masterpiece, and his greatgrandson (also named George), a conflicted and cynical contemporary artist.

In order to ensure social distancing, attendees will sit in pods of no more than four members from their own household groups and masks will be required for all patrons, performers and staff. The pods will be clearly marked and spaced at least 6 feet apart. Seating is general admission and will begin 45 minutes before the show. Audience members are encouraged to bring chairs; blankets are not recommended because of the concrete of the plaza.

Show times are 7 p.m. Oct. 1-3 and 2 p.m. Oct. 4. Tickets are $20 per person and available online at tinyurl.com/sundaywgeorge or by calling 387-6222.

Something Cinematic Local premiere of Once Upon a River planned

Once Upon a River, hailed as one of the “most anticipated movies of fall 2020” by Time magazine and based on the best-selling book by local author Bonnie Jo Campbell, makes its national virtual debut Oct. 2, after winning 17 awards at film festivals. The Ladies Library Association is offering the Kalamazoo premiere of the movie that day via virtual streaming. The online event will begin at 7 p.m.

This Midwestern gothic story is, in the words of Jane Smiley for The New York Times, “an excellent American parable about the consequences of our favorite ideal, freedom.” The story takes place in 1970s rural Michigan as a traumatized young woman embarks on a river odyssey to find her estranged mother.

The day before the premiere, Campbell will engage in a Facebook live discussion from 1–1:45 p.m. of her experiences during the process of having her novel adapted into a major motion picture. For tickets and more information about these events, visit tinyurl.com/LLAfilmpremiere.

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