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.
Caffé Casa's interior hasn't changed much over three decades (yes, the piano is still there), but the mall itself has undergone many iterations. Grab a cuppa and read Mark Wedel's leisurely chat with co-owner Kathy Beebe — preferably at the Caffé, where you can watch Kalamazoo pass by.
In this final installment of our mini-series Trail Tales, writer and naturalist Sam Kapp explores Asylum Lake Preserve, a development-locked urban oasis for trail lovers and wildlife. Kapp digs into Asylum's unique history as a working and recreation farm for the 'insane' and the ongoing struggle to preserve the preserve.
LGBTQIA+ experience obstacles to economic security and housing in ways that may not reach most people's awareness. To dispel stereotypes and increase understanding of the unique challenges that LGBTQIA+ face, the United Way of South Central Michigan is offering a 21-day Equity Challenge.
Girls Build Kalamazoo em-powers Black girls by teaching them to use drills, electric saws, sanders, and hand tools. The nonprofit, founded by Twala Lockett-Jones, realtor and author, also introduces principles of design and elements of construction — to build confidence in areas where women are often underrepresented.
Why Canadiana Fest? We're neighbors, first of all. But there's so much more to our sibling country, which is why Channon Mondoux, chef, SW Second Wave writer, and event organizer, threw her tuque in the Kalamazoo festival ring and went big.
Climate change is impacting us all in big and small ways. SW Second Wave is committed to sharing solutions-oriented climate stories that inspire both action and hope. On the Ground Battle Creek Project Editor Jane Parikh was recently in NYC with journalists from around the world to learn impactful ways to cover climate change at a local level. See what she learned.
Kalamazoo students waged a Youth Climate Strike to end the use of fossil fuels on Friday, Sept. 15 with nearly 150 youth and concerned adults attending the protest. The Ardea Youth Climate Action Coalition organized the rally to ask for decisive action.
Elemental Press, a new printmaking/photography studio in the Park Trades Center, is committed to making the creation of art accessible by offering free and affordable opportunities. "It's about bringing the community together, making art for everybody," says owner Jenna Riehl.
Kids in Tune, sponsored by the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, has been sharing the joy that comes with learning to play a musical instrument with students for 12 years. This El Sistema-inspired musical foundation has had a profound impact on over 1,500 students' lives.
Dogs on the Kalamazoo Mall are a common enough sight, but last Saturday, dogs ruled and owners were invited to tag along to Dogs in the Zoo. Writer Mark Wedel spoke to a few canine companions and Pooch-ographer Fran Dwight captured doggy delight and then some.
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