With Fourth of July weekend approaching, communities across southwest Michigan are preparing for parades, fireworks shows, live performances and annual hometown celebrations marking the country’s 250th year of independence. Watershed Voice compiled a guide to events happening across St. Joseph, Cass and Kalamazoo counties, along with a few nearby celebrations worth the drive.
Just off U.S. 131 sits a quiet patch of land bursting with flowers, vegetables, and the kind of family life many people spend years searching for. Take the right onto Flowerfield Road, keep going a little ways, follow the signs for fresh flowers, and eventually you’ll find it: Flowerfield Farmstead. Home to Nick, Cassie, Juniper, Rio — the dog — and seemingly endless flowers. Balancing both family life and farm life in Flowerfield Township has become one of the unique challenges — and joys — of building the life the Shimps envision.
The sixth annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase is exactly one month away, which means we need to finalize our poster to get it printed and in a downtown storefront window near you. If you or your business/organization would like to sponsor our annual fundraising event, you can still do so by emailing office@watershedvoice.com or messaging us on social media by Monday, June 29. There are two sponsorship levels available and both are open to individuals as well as organizations at $250 and $500 respectively.
While many voters focus on November, the primary narrows the field in races that will shape state and local government for years to come. Watershed Voice has assembled this early guide to help readers prepare well in advance. Additional candidate profiles, questionnaires, and proposal explainers will be published closer to Election Day.
As temperatures climb across Southwest Michigan, residents looking to escape the heat have several options throughout Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Cass counties. With excessive heat expected next week ahead of the holiday weekend, here's where and how to beat the heat.
While Pride Month is primarily about celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and love in its many forms, it can also be an opportunity for allies to look inward and reflect on how to be better. Not just as individuals, but collectively, what does it take to make someone feel truly welcome — and not simply accepted? To explore that question, Watershed Voice spoke with Heather Sanford of OutFront Kalamazoo about what meaningful allyship can look like during Pride Month and long after June ends.
Earlier this month, the federal government approved more than $70 billion in new funding for immigration enforcement agencies, marking one of the largest expansions of federal immigration enforcement spending in recent years. For residents in southwest Michigan, questions remain about whether expanded federal funding could lead to increased cooperation between local police agencies and federal immigration authorities.
Communities across Southwest Michigan will mark Juneteenth this week with celebrations centered on history, culture, music and community gatherings honoring one of the nation’s most significant milestones in the fight for freedom. In Three Rivers, a community Juneteenth celebration is scheduled for Friday, June 19 at 6 p.m. at the new downtown amphitheater. Longtime Watershed Voice collaborator and supporter Debbie Allen will perform and serve as MC for the event.
The festival begins later Thursday evening with the annual Water Festival Parade at 7 p.m., marking the official start of the long-running community tradition. Carnival rides and food vendors will be available throughout the weekend as festival activities continue through Saturday. Residents can expect a packed schedule of events over the three-day celebration, with attractions ranging from arts and crafts vendors to races, live entertainment, and a fireworks finale.
After a lengthy discussion about whether to place restrictions on when residents could utilize the expanded district, commissioners approved an amended motion limiting the expansion to only when events are being held at the amphitheater. More than an hour into the meeting, worsening weather prompted Mayor Angel Johnston to temporarily adjourn proceedings and direct attendees to shelter in the City Hall basement as a precaution. During the adjournment, Johnston briefly returned home to retrieve her dog before rejoining attendees in the basement. After the storm passed, commissioners returned upstairs and resumed the meeting.
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