G-Sync - Shout Out To The Eventful Ones

G-Sync Events for the weeks of 07/31 – 8/06/2009

By Tommy Allen

As a city transitions, so does the quality of its events.  In a city like my hometown of Flint, the choices become very slim as an inner city urban center struggles to survive, and it's hard to create a sense of community pride when the core is being abandoned.  But in the Grand Rapids metro area, the number of community affirming events continues to grow at a record pace, mirroring the developments that continue to pop up in our downtowns and neighborhoods.

Just like our expanding skylines, our event landscape is changing with events that we've never seen before.  

Before we cross the summer of 2009’s finish line, we will have had the chance to be entertained by wake boarders in  downtown Grand Rapids; dance the night away to electronic music at Rosa Parks Circle; kick back along the lake shore to a new Jazz festival with a strong regional influence; witness fresh celluloid art at the Michigan Film Festival and even run with the bulls through downtown streets.  And all this happens before we even get to the biggest first time arts event, ArtPrize.

These events would not be possible without the vision of our locally grown event producers who bring these diverse choices to the West Michigan stage.  Area producers are the silent and often unsung heroes of our community who labor countless hours with groups like city officials and neighborhood committee members to bring you the very best in fresh new entertainment. 

So the next time you hear someone talking about an event happening in our city, just remember the faceless many that are bringing these events to life.  Without these people, our summer calendar would look very different.  Cheers to you, the dreamers and doers of our community events.  (OK, and can we have our bike lanes, too, while we are talking about positive change?)

Choose local.…and often.

– Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor

@TommyRapidG - Twitter

Click here to continue reading about this week's G-Sync event listings.

( Don't forget to register for the August 22 El Toro! The Running of the Bulls in downtown Grand Rapids. Readers of Rapid Growth can secure $5.00 off by registering by August 10, 2009 at www.sales.grbulls.com  (Enter code: bulls09 at check out. )