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Camp Eberhart’s ropes course goes out on top

In the early 1990s, YMCA Camp Eberhart began building a ropes course that would challenge campers for years to come. Tucked beneath a canopy of towering pine trees, the course rises from the woods on wooden poles, some made from trees cut from the site during its original construction. But after more than three decades of campers climbing through the trees, the course has seen its last summer. Eberhart retired the aging course at the end of this year’s summer camp season and is now preparing to replace it. 

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A different kind of house music

This Saturday in Kalamazoo roughly a dozen performers and bands will play mini-concerts around the Vine neighborhood during a five-hour Vine Porch Crawl. The plan is to start at 2 p.m. at the Vine Neighborhood Association (806 S. Westnedge Ave.) with a set by Persian Rugg to kick off the neighborhood tour. For the full lineup and locations, read this article.

Kalamazoo’s inaugural Black Pride festival takes place this weekend in Bates Alley

“We're at a special time in history where it's important to reclaim and claim our joy and the beauty of our gathering together and basking in the creativity and ingenuity and community that we have created and that we can continue to create through an event like this,” Michelle S. Johnson, executive director and co-founder of the Institute of Public Scholarship, told Watershed Voice. Johnson organized the inaugural event alongside Michael Cleggs-Arnott of OutFront Kalamazoo.

Local record store offers place to discover new music beyond digital platforms

Over the years, Satellite Records has continued to grow in size, inventory, popularity, and customer base, a success owner Michael Evans largely attributes to the Kalamazoo community. The store has been operating in Kalamazoo for more than 15 years, and Evans remains grateful for the consistent support from residents and customers.

Listen: Good Grief. Podcast, Episode 6

We’re told to grieve alone, in private, but why? In the sixth episode of the Good Grief. Podcast, Watershed Voice’s Aundrea Sayrie discusses what grief is, how we do it, and why we need others to witness it.

Watershed Voice’s 2026 Artist Showcase is now live on YouTube

The showcase featured performances from the *culture is not optional Family Band, Torrey Brown, Mitchie Moore, Eddie Leboeuf, Shy Winters, Gospel Mime Minister, Lucky Fultz, Alek Haak-Frost, Debbie Allen, Courtney Moore, Just Mikel, and Mister Aubs.  Viewers can watch the showcase video in its entirety or jump directly to individual performances using the timestamps and links included in the video description.

Dad’s Place in Three Rivers suddenly closes

Dad’s Place, a longtime breakfast diner in Three Rivers, closed Tuesday, August 18, after announcing its closure on Facebook earlier that day.  “Due to the rising costs, lack of help, and just being damn tired, we are sorry to inform you all that today is the last day our doors are going to be open for business,” the restaurant wrote in a Facebook post.

Listen: Good Grief. Podcast, Episode 5

We hear it all the time: just give it time. In the fifth episode of the Good Grief. Podcast, Watershed Voice’s Aundrea Sayrie unpacks what happens when we stop waiting for the pain to disappear and start intentionally tending to the places that still hurt.

Huss Project’s Back to School Celebration returns Saturday with free backpacks, community resources

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Huss Project, 1008 Eighth St. in Three Rivers, alongside the Huss Project Farmers Market and Second Saturday Market Art Market. School-aged children accompanied by an adult caregiver can receive a free backpack filled with school supplies while supplies last. Throughout the day, local organizations will offer information about community services and host kid-friendly activities as part of the event’s annual Community Carnival.

Listen: Good Grief. Podcast, Episode 4

In the fourth episode of the Good Grief. Podcast, Watershed Voice’s Aundrea Sayrie examines one of the biggest misconceptions about grief – "[it] only happens when someone dies." "As I reflected I realized something that on one hand, the level of grief I experienced losing my mom was unlike anything I had ever experienced. But on the other, it was quietly familiar. "Not in its intensity. But in its depth. In its ache. I began to recognize grief at the edge of nearly every significant loss I'd experienced since childhood. I simply hadn't known to call it grief."

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