In November 2015, tragedy struck when the Whaley Historic House Museum caught fire. In the early afternoon, the roof was engulfed in flames and pieces of Flint’s history were lost. The cause of the blaze was determined to be accidental. “Copper gutters were being welded,” explains Executive Director, Daniel Conner. “The previous director smelled smoke and then saw the flames.” The fire started near one of the chimneys, damaging the roof and the third floor. There was smoke and water damage throughout the rest of the museum. “That was the real disaster,” Conner admits. The damages totaled $2 million.
With her trim, toned build, distinctive mohawk hairstyle and confident stare, Louise Ogadinma looks nothing like she did a decade ago. Back then, as she puts it, she was an “unathletic” senior at Detroit Renaissance High School whose only extra-circular interest was choir.
Happy Curmudgeons is a project a long time coming. Dave Hamilton (lead singer, guitarist) was playing in a band in the 80s called the Angel-Headed Hipsters, and during that time, had the opportunity to meet the legendary Lou Reed of The Velvet Underground. “Lou Reed had told me, ‘You’re a very good songwriter. Keep doing what you’re doing and believe in yourself. If you stick with that, you’ll end up doing something’,” says Hamilton. He took Reed’s words to heart and did just that. “About twenty years later, I decided to get back to it,” he says. Hamilton was still playing music and doing session work during that time, but knew he wanted to put out his own music. He spent a year in California, returning to the Flint area in 2008, where he ran into Jeff Warner (guitar), who has also played with Gene Pool and the Pole Barn Rebels, as well as his current band, The Outfit. The two began writing and soon brought on Amy Dixon-Lavery to contribute additional vocals. Thus, Happy Curmudgeons were officially born on August 1, 2015.
The Ceremony will take place at the Great Lakes National Cemetery (4200 Belford Rd, Holly). Thousands of veterans, families, friends and the general public are expected to attend the ceremony honoring deceased veterans interred at the Great Lakes National Cemetery. There will be patriotic music, the VFW State Honor Guard will present the colors and perform a rifle salute during the ceremony. Taps will also be played.
Enjoy this hour long Folk Opera musical for young audiences who will be invited to sing and dance their way to outer-space. 7:30-8:30pm.
May the Fourth be with you will be the theme for the Grand Blanc Food Truck Festival. Visitors will enjoy the Flint Comic Relief along with a DJ and free kids activities. For the older kids, there will be a car show. Be sure to wear your Super Hero costume. There will be 25 Food Trucks for your eating pleasure from 5-9pm.
May is National Barbecue Month and people all over Genesee County are firing up their grills! In the meantime, there are some really great barbecue restaurants in Greater Flint that will do the cooking FOR you, offering down-home, mouth-watering ribs, beef brisket and pulled pork served with a wide array of delectable side dishes and a slab of cornbread. Here’s a taste!
The expansion houses a new ceramics collection with about 400 works by some of the world’s best-known contemporary artists, a stunning contemporary glass exhibit featuring around 150 works by 98 artists and representing every technique in contemporary glassmaking. The new wing also features a changing exhibit for emerging artists working in craft such as silver, wood or fiber.
The Flint School of Performing Arts (FSPA) offers many opportunities to explore the world through music. A group of young musicians recently returned from a trip to Paris and London! My City Magazine caught up with a few of the lucky students who shared this experience, three of whom have traveled overseas with the FSPA more than once.
