Kalamazoo’s name is so distinctive strangers around the world have been known to break into song at hearing the name. With such a recognizable moniker you’d think Kalamazoo wouldn’t need nicknames, but through the years changing names have reflected the city’s refusal to stand still. The Zoo, Celery City and the Mall City are a few. The innovative thinking that brought downtown K’zoo the nation’s first pedestrian mall in 1959 continues to work today. Innovators have developed thriving life sciences, biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms. They build on the expertise of Kalamazoo’s universities. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Davenport College all are centers of research, development and technology. They surround a downtown vibrating with condos, apartments and homegrown, top-notch restaurants. The universities are woven into the city’s social fabric and contribute to a cultural scene that Kalamazooans love to boast about. The Kalamazoo Symphony, Kalamazoo Institute of Art and a vibrant local theater community are a few of the offerings. Locals also love their festivals that fill the air with music and the scents of ethnic foods wafting over the Arcadia Festival grounds and the Kalamazoo River. Outdoor activities from biking on the Kal-Haven trail to disc golf and standard golf on a nationally-acclaimed course in Milham Park are the start of the city’s leisure side. Sports fans have competitive college teams, minor league baseball and hockey to follow. And it all comes with a Promise. All high school graduates who live in Kalamazoo qualify for a scholarship that pays 100 percent of their tuition at any public university or community college.
Measures taken by Borgess Health to improve access to a patient’s clinical information have caught the eye of the State of Michigan in a good way. The Michigan Health Information […]
Can a retail incubator work to fill up empty storefronts in downtown Kalamazoo? Kathy Jennings sees an experimental program showing success before her eyes.
Community leaders interested in finding out more about the Kalamazoo Promise and similar programs are in Kalamazoo this week for the third annual PromiseNet.The conference is designed to bring together representatives of communities that are investing in education and economic development through scholarship programs."Investing in Youth for Community Transformation," this year's theme, is aimed at helping other cities accomplish the same kind of transformation the Promise has created in Kalamazoo.Conference speakers include: • Nationally renowned economist, author and commentator Dr. Julianne Malveaux, president of Bennett College for Women. • Kalamazoo investor William D. Johnston, president and chair of Greenleaf Companies.• Gregory M. Darnieder, special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Education and advisor on the secretary's Initiative on College Access. Conference sessions are being led by a number of individuals connected with the Promise and Promise-type initiatives. They include Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Michael Rice and school officials affiliated with similar initiatives in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin and other states."The goal of PromiseNet 2010 is to connect communities that are working together to transform themselves," executive director of the Kalamazoo promise Dr. Janice Brown says. "The conference is designed to bring together individuals from all over the United States who are invested and engaged in education-based economic renewal like Kalamazoo, as well as those in the planning stages."The conference comes on the heels of President Barack Obama's national attention given to The Kalamazoo Promise, a college tuition guarantee for graduates of the Kalamazoo Public Schools. During his commencement address for Kalamazoo Central High School's Class of 2010, the president praised the Promise initiative, saying: "I think that America has a lot to learn from Kalamazoo about what makes a successful school in this new century."Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Cheryl Roland, WMU
Summertime is festival time in downtown Kalamazoo. Lots of towns host a festival or two during the summers. But for Kalamazoo that's just not enough. Greek Fest kicked off the festival season. Next up is Island Fest. Yet to come are Blues Fest, the Black Arts Festival, the Irish Festival, Rib Fest, Rock for Kids, Taste of Kalamazoo, Woofstock and Boiling Pot, the area's newest festival. Community Relations Director for Downtown Kalamazoo Inc. Vicky Kettner says over years the festival season has continued to expand as residents have found new ways to use the Arcadia Creek Festival Place. The $2 million festival site opened in 2004, developed through private funding, is managed by DKI. in 2009, an estimated 180,000 people were drawn to various events there from mid-April to mid-October. To promote a sense of community, all the festivals downtown must have a theme, Kettner says. "All our festivals have deeply rooted community connections." Some raise money for local causes. For example, proceeds from RibFest benefit Community Advocates, an organization that supports those with developmental disabilities. Others are simply a place to meet up with people from across the region. Once local retailers and restauerters dreaded the way the festivals siphoned off their business. Now, through a survey, local businesses have a say in the hours of operations of new festivals requesting to use the downtown site. As attendance at the festivals as burgeoned local businesses are finding their ... is brisk. Kettner says she heard reports that during Greek Fest the local bar and restaurant Ouzo Taverna -- within walking distance of the festival site -- was standing room only. "We are not hearing the complaints we once did." When a festival is not in full swing, Arcadia Creek Festival Place is a spot for picnics, weddings and other low key uses by people who want to be near the creek. Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Vicky Kettner, Community Relations Director
WMU's solar race car team is in Texas readying the Sunseeker for a round of qualifying events.The new Sunseeker has been in development for 18 months. It is lighter and more aerodynamic than previous WMU racers, weighing in at about 650 pounds with the driver on board.This year's race marks the 10th time WMU students have participated in the biennial American Solar Challenge race that draws the best engineering schools from the United States and Canada. WMU solar powered vehicles have placed as high as sixth and captured best design awards in post-race ceremonies. WMU is one of only four teams in North America to have participated in all nine previous races.A team of 10 engineering students and two advisors from WMU are now in Cresson Texas for the American Solar Challenge qualifying events -- four days set aside for the evaluation of all the vehicle systems and the Formula Sun Grand Prix track race, June 16-18, to ensure the vehicles are up to the demands of the road trip.This year, competitors will race for 1,100 miles through four states on a course chosen to include pieces of routes used in previous events in a historical tribute to the 20 years of organized solar racing events in North America. The cross-country road race will start June 20 in Tulsa, Okla., and conclude June 26 in Chicago.Race updates are available online. The team also has its own Facebook page.The event offers students a chance to apply classroom knowledge to a hands-on project that culminates in a test of the efficiency, safety and durability of the solar vehicles. The teams also promote the use of renewable alternative energy and the advancement of related technologies by educating the public through the presentation and demonstration of a solar powered vehicle.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Cheryl Roland, WMU
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