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.
In this first episode of the Good Grief. Nano Learning Podcast, Watershed Voice's Aundrea Sayrie begins by exploring what grief is, and what it isn't. Together, you'll unpack common misconceptions, challenge unrealistic expectations, and create space for honest conversations about healing, loss, and life after change. Whether you're grieving the loss of a loved one, a relationship, your health, a dream, or another significant life transition, you're welcome here. Aundrea's hope is that each short episode leaves you feeling seen, informed, and a little less alone.
The Edison Neighborhood Association’s building on Washington Avenue in Kalamazoo is undergoing renovations to become a “resilience hub.” That means it’ll be outfitted to serve residents in the case of extreme weather during heat waves or after tornados. Renovations include solar panels, battery storage, a commercial kitchen, and an upgraded community room that will allow for livestreaming meetings.
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 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.
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.
In The Mother Wound, Part Six, Watershed Voice columnist Aundrea Sayrie writes, "Many mothers carried wounds no one ever helped them unpack. "Some were parenting while grieving. Some were surviving a dark reality while mothering. Some were trying to love from places within themselves that had never fully been loved gently either. "And while that does not erase the pain some children experienced, it does create room for something many people eventually wrestle with as adults: "The realization that their mothers were human long before they were 'mom.'"
"Although we didn't have the board capacity to put on a festival this year, we wanted to give Three Rivers some sort of celebration," Three Rivers Pride Secretary Alexis Jacobs wrote in a statement to Watershed Voice. "So we organized this event to honor queer folks and love, show everyone that we are still here, and raise some money towards the cause." According to Jacobs, all tips collected during the event will be donated to Three Rivers Pride to support future initiatives. She added that the Kittens will close the evening with a “big group number” to cap off the night of celebration.
In The Mother Wound, Part Five, Watershed Voice columnist Aundrea Sayrie writes, "Eventually there comes a moment where a person has to decide, 'Do I carry this pain forever, or do I begin finding a way to free myself from it?' "Because forgiveness is not for the other person. It is for you. For your peace of mind. For your ability to move forward without carrying the same emotional burden forever."
A NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR
Become a monthly donor today
A monthly donation of $5 or more can make a difference.
