Food, Wine, and All That Jazz

If you enjoy good food and good drinks, please consider joining us for this fabulous event coming up on October 28th! WGVU and D&W Fresh Market will be filling the Grand Rapids Public Museum with over 300 different wines and beers to sample, as well as an assortment of gourmet food. You will want to come hungry as "samples" doesn't really do the food assortment justice. This event really, truly is one of a kind. My husband and I attended last year for the first time and were beyond impressed. We consider ourselves "foodies" and I have been called a "wino" more than once in my life and we couldn't have asked for a better selection of food and wines to sample. Along with the huge variety, everyone working the event was very knowledgeable about the products they were serving and were overly accommodating to my food sensitivities. I've attended many events similar in nature and this was by far the most enjoyable. . . and since I first attended the event prior to being involved with WGVU I would say that's NOT a biased opinion :)

The event will feature live music by The Steve Hilger Jazz Quintet and runs from 7:30-10pm on Friday the 28th. Tickets are $60 and you must be 21 years of age with a valid photo ID. I should also point out that your ticket is all inclusive. Once you are in the event, you do NOT need to pay any extra or purchase tickets to sample. Tickets are available at all D&W Fresh Market stores or through WGVU at 1-800-442-2771. Hope to see you there. . .I promise you will not be disappointed!

What has the Engage Committee been up to?

Alright, so we may have gotten a little ahead of ourselves on Friday. Friday wasn't actually the "official" Fall Arts kick-off but we were just so excited about the upcoming programs that we posted a week too soon! The OFFICIAL kick-off is THIS Friday at 9pm. You can find a list of all the upcoming programs here: Fall Arts Festival!

So another exciting announcement, WGVU Public Broadcasting has been awarded a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as part of its nationwide American Graduate Program. This project will provide resources for WGVU and the Engage Committee to raise awareness about the high school dropout rate in our area. This is a crisis nationwide and often we don't realize that those affected are in our neighborhoods too. Not only will WGVU have on-air programming addressing the issue but the Engage Committee is actively working on various events to bring light to this issue in our area and to address way to we can start to solve the problem. Stay tuned for event announcements and as always, if you are interested in being a part of these events please let us know!

In addition, the WGVU Engage Committee has made a commitment to tackling childhood hunger and we have a slew of events and programs coming up that address this issue. In partnership with the Sesame Street Workshop WGVU currently has packets available on:


Food for Thought Initiative - Eating Well on a Budget
A bilingual, multi-media program designed to help support families with children between the ages of 2 and 8, who are coping with uncertain or limited access to affordable and nutritious food

"A" is for Asthma - and for Active!
Geared toward children and adults, showing children what to do when they have trouble breathing, and explaining to adults what they can do to help
Materials encourage parents/caregivers to work with the child and their doctor in ensuring that the child maintains an active lifestyle Project conveys messages through a Sesame Street video story

Healthy Habit for Life - Helping Children Develop Healthy Habits Through Fun and Play
Offering simple strategies to help parents/caregivers instill healthy behaviors in children.

We will also have various events addressing this issue as well and a list of resources available for those seeking assistance and those wanting to help.

Be sure to keep up with the blog or find us on facebook to be the first know what events will be taking place and when!

One event you can mark on your calendar NOW is Veterans Day. Please plan to join us for the annual Veteran's Day parade in downtown Grand Rapids. LZ Michigan is proud to promote the event and we would love to see the community come together to support our local veterans.

You should also set aside October 28th for our Food, Wine, and All That Jazz event at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

Whew! That's not even everything the Engage Committee is working on but at least your some-what up to date on what's going on! If there is anything you are interested in helping with or want to volunteer for please let us know. We are always looking for volunteers and would love to introduce you the WGVU family!

PBS Fall Arts Festival Starts Tonight!

Be sure to tune in tonight at 9 for the kick off of the PBS Fall Arts Festival! Tonight's feature is "Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2011". Every Friday at 9pm through December, PBS will be showing a performance ranging anywhere from women rock-and-rollers to banjo pickers. The programs will include full length performances with behind the scenes interviews, profiles of the artists, and short documentaries. Check out tonight's show and let us know what you think! And while you are in the artsy mood, don't forget about all the amazing art that is right here in our own backyard. This is the last weekend for ArtPrize and the weather couldn't be more perfect for a stroll through downtown Grand Rapids!

Stay tuned for another post this weekend with an update on what our committee is working on and some more information about the PBS Fall Arts Festival! And in the mean time. . .you've got 15 minutes to grab some popcorn and claim your spot on the couch!