Author: johnrothwellblog

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Photo’s from Detroit City FC 2-0 win over GRFC at Fifth Third Ballpark

The Grand Rapids FC lost 2-0 to the Detroit City FC in a NPSL match that was played at Fifth Third Ballpark

DCFC’s  Shawn Lawson scored the game’s first goal in the 62 minute and Bakie Goodman added an insurance goal in the 74th minute.

“We won the ball deep  and one of the midfielders passed the ball up to Tyrone and he found me.” Lawson said, “I was in the right place at the right time.”

Near the end of the first half DCFC’s goal keeper Nathan Steinwascher stopped  GRFC’s Scott Doney penalty kick. Sending both teams into the locker room scoreless.

“It was unfortunate that we missed the PK (penalty kick),” GRFC coach  George Moni said, “If you go with the 1-0 advantage at halftime it gives you a lot more positives.

GRFC now 2-4-1 are at  Lansing United on June 24. Their next home game is at Houseman Field 2 p.m. July 2 against Kalamazoo FC.

A view of Calder Plaza hours before the start of Festival 2017

On the first full weekend of June, hundreds of thousand of people converge on downtown Grand Rapids to partake in Festival of the Arts. An annual three-day celebration of West Michigan arts and artists.

The first festival took place in 1970 a year after Alexander Calder’s La Grande Vitesse was installed in front of the newly built City Hall in downtown Grand Rapids, The area today is now called Calder Plaza.

 The first Festival of the Arts showcased  two stages and a limited number food booths drawing only several hundred people.

 Originally an activity of the Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids, Festival broke away in 2002 and became it’s own 501 (c)3 . Festival is now recognized as one of the largest all volunteer  arts festival in the country.

 2017 saw bands, food booths  and artist performing to thousands of people. Here are photos taken that weekend on the streets around Calder Plaza celebrating Festival of the Arts.

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Photos from the Grand Rapids, Michigan Memorial Day Parade

Grand Rapids MI – Most communities observe Memorial Day on the last Monday of May, while Grand Rapids recognizes the traditional day of May 30th with its parade. This year’s event started at 7 p.m. on Division and Lyon NE, ending at Veterans Park in downtown Grand Rapids.  A service was held in remembrance of those who died while serving our country’s armed forces.

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Photos from GRFC’s 1-0 win over the Michigan Stars on May 26, 2017

Grand Rapids — The Grand Rapids FC defeated the Michigan Stars, 1-0 at Houseman field on Friday May 27, 2017

“It was probably our worst effort in our four games,” Stars coach Morris Lupenec said. “They got the break they deserved and were well deserving of the result.”

With neither team scoring in the first half, GRFC substitute Anthony Bowie put the ball in the net for the game’s only goal in the 68th minute for the go-ahead game winner.

“I was able to one-time it home,” said Bowie. Tonight was his first game of the season.

“The tactical discipline of the boys showed up today,” GRFC Coach George Moni said. ‘We have not lost a game in over two years here at Housman.’

GRFC will attempt to keep their home streak alive when they return to Houseman field on June 10th for a 7:30 p.m. game against Lansing United.

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Photos of GRFC’s season home opening win over the Milwaukee Torrent

Grand Rapids FC opened up their 2017 home schedule on Sunday May, 21 with a 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Torrent at Houseman Field.

GRFC found themselves trailing 2-0 at the 11-minute mark of play in the first half.  They went on to score three unanswered goals in the second half, not allowing another goal.  The home fans left happy with their teams’ victory.

GRFC Forward Joe Broekhuizen scored his first goal of the season in the 56th minute to make the score 2-1.

“It was a tough first half for us.  We struggled to get in the game and started of really slow and they made us pay,” Broekhuizen said, “We know that playing in front of our home fans we are never out of it and once we got one the floodgates kind of opened.”

Minutes later GRFC  Midfielder Nick Abdoo scored to even the match at 2-2.  In the 86th minute, GRFC Forward Elmedin Zukic put the ball in the net for the game winner.

“Progressively we are developing a better style of play and at the same time we are bring some of these guys into shape because it’s the beginning of the season,” said GRFC coach George Moni. “I was extremely happy with today’s victory.”

GRFC next home game will be Friday May 26, at Houseman Field with a 7:30 pm start time.

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Photos take at Centennial Park of the 2017 Holland, Michigan Tulip Dig

Holland, Mi- Several hundred people gathered in three local parks in Holland, Michigan on Saturday morning May 20, 2017 to participate in the annual Tulip Dig.

With over 200,000 tulips to dig up between Centennial Park,Window on the Waterfront, and Windmill Island Gardens, participants needed to bring their own 5-gallon buckets, digging tools, and pay the cost of  $10 per bucket to take part in the dig.  Contributions will support the city’s entry to compete in the prestigious Communities in Bloom International Competition in 2017.  

“I have an acre of land that is all gardens, and the tulips love it,” said David Brower of Zeeland, Michigan who was partaking in his third dig. “Ten bucks for a bucket of tulips bulbs, man.”

With one bucket filled, and working on his second, Rick Kassmeyer, who is new to Holland, was preparing his new house he and his wife are building by planting some tulips.

Lou Wallin along with his wife Barbara of Holland bought their home about four years ago, and only have one single tulip at their house.  They were at the dig on Saturday to get some some tulips to put around the house so they could “fit” in with the Holland theme by planting more tulips.

“It’s a great deal for the community, it lets people get some bulbs and also gives back to the community,” Wallin said. “It is a blessing being out here on a beautiful day doing fun things with the one I love.”

Holland Mayor Nancy DeBoer,  also a member of the non-profit Holland In Bloom was on hand at Centennial Park, assisting the volunteers that were aiding the diggers.   

“This (event) is what we generated as a committee for a way to get people thinking about flowers and putting more flowers around the community,” said DeBoer.

The “Holland in Bloom” website celebrates the “pride planted in our community”, highlighting significant accomplishments, and promotes civic beautification efforts. “We encourage the integration of beautification, historic preservation, and environmental efforts into the fabric of our community as we move forward.”

The City of Holland has participated for the past six years in the national America in Bloom competition.  America in Bloom (AIB) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting nationwide beautification programs, personal and community involvement through the use of flowers, plants, trees, and other environmental and lifestyle enhancements. Holland has received a 5-out-of-5-bloom rating in each of the years participating in the competition. The city has also won the top award in the population category for five years (2011-2015), and was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award in one of the six criteria categories in each of the past six years. This year Holland in Bloom accepted the invitation to participate in the Communities in Bloom International Competition.

If you missed this year’s dig, look next May on the website for the Tulip Dig 2018’s date to be named.  

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High winds in the Grand Rapids area caused a large tree branch to fall on a group of women walking their children in Riverside Park.

Grand Rapids, Mi- With winds gusting between 40 and 50 mph, a large branch fell from a silver maple tree in Riverside Park, landing a group of walkers.  Two women, and a young child were taken to local hospitals by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

West Michigan Tree Services was in the park working with a Swedish TV crew that was filming a Swedish version of “The Dirtiest Job” and was about to do a climbing segment in an ash tree when they heard the crash and shouting.

“We were standing here talking about what we were going to do today when we heard this crash,” Swedish reality TV personality Carina Berg said. “We looked over and it was a group of pregnant women and little children walking away.”

The branch had fallen on the walking path just north of boat launch #2 in Riverside Park just after 10 a.m.

“We all ran down there (film crew, Arborists, everyone).  We found a woman still under the tree,” said Brian Rathbun, an Arborist with West Michigan Tree. “We cut what we needed to, to get her out and to do a triage assessment and hold her steady until the EMS got here.”  

“When we got there all we could see was a woman underneath the tree with a baby shoe next to her,” Rathbun said. “The woman managed to protect her young child enough that they were able to pull the child out before we made it to them”.

The branch, roughly twenty-four inches in diameter broke off from the tree, crashing down on the woman and child.  Rathbun estimated the weight of the limb to be between 1,000-2,000 pounds. “If it had been a few seconds earlier, where the group was walking, it would have likely resulted in a fatal accident” said Rathbun.

Grand Rapids City Forestry is responsible for assessing the condition of trees in city parks.  

A Women is rolled to a waiting ambulance after a large tree branch falls on her while walking in Riverside Park.

Grand Rapids, Mi — Over 2,000 people turned out on May 1 2017, at Garfield park  to march in solidarity for immigration rights and protections.

Gathering at the park participants danced, sang songs and voiced out chants before organizers led the people on over a three mile march to Calder Plaza located in the heart of the city.

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Photos from along the march.           Photos By John Rothwell

Leaving the park marchers headed west on Burton to Division Avenue where they turned north. Marchers were greeted with cheers and support from members of the community along the rout as other joined in.

The number of participant grew as they made their way to Calder plaza Watch as the marcher pass under Wealthy St Bridge on Ionia Ave.

The  organizers of the march did not obtain a permit causing the Grand Rapids Police Department to  scramble into position to close down roads and divert traffic away from the marchers.

Listen to voices from the march

Many people shared a variety of reasons for participating in the march with the common thread being that the Latino community protection against arrest and deportation.

Bernice Garcia from Mexico City interview

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By John Rothwell

Walker, MI – Thirty-seven seconds into her debut boxing match, Grand Valley State University freshmen and member of the GVSU Boxing club Sarah Rae Batenburg became a part of the University’s history books. On Saturday April 8, 2017 Batenburg defeated Rayne Pacola of the Wolverine Boxing Club by knockout, or Referee Called Fight, in the first round on the main stage of the Deltaplex Arena.

“She’s a champion on many levels because of getting onto that ring, having the courage to do that, having the courage to throw punches, and to get hit by punches, and then win that fight,” GVSU Boxing coach Dennis Shimmell Jr. said.

Batenburg, 19, a Criminal Justice major from Howard City, Michigan is the first female boxer from GVSU to compete in a match. She is also the first GVSU club boxer of either gender to win a fight, to record a RFC or TKO, and to win a championship medal. Batenburg began her boxing career in October of 2016 when she discovered the GVSU Boxing Club, and has been rolling with it ever since.

“I was just really surprised that the referee called it,” Batenburg said of the fight. “I didn’t think I was really whaling on her that hard but I guess I was.”

Batenburg was scheduled to enter the West Michigan Golden Gloves in the Sub-Novice division but Shimmell noticed her talent and decided to move her up to Novice. The fighters she would face would have more experience.  A boxer is considered a Novice until about their 11th fight.  Pacola had fought three times before stepping into the ring with Batenburg. Coach Shimmell had seen Raebatenburg’s opponent fight before and was sure that Batenburg would hold her own in the fight.

“I thought Sarah Rae would do fine with her (Pacola),” Shimmell said. “Was I one-hundred percent sure she was going to win? No, but was I one-hundred percent sure she would do ok.”
By winning the West Michigan Golden Gloves Championship Women’s Novice 165, Batenburg will advance to the State Finals April 21 and 22, at Deltaplex Arena. Fights start at 7:00 P.M. Tickets are available at the DeltaPlex box office.  

Individuals held signs and chanted out slogans “No ban, no wall, this country is for all” and “Show me what democracy looks like – this is what democracy looks like,” as a student led sit-in, to protest President Donald Trump’s recently signed executive order barring citizens from seven Muslim majority countries from entering the United States took place at Grand Valley State University’s Kirkhof Center on January 31, 2017.