1. The whole city of Grand Rapids is officially an art museum! ArpPrize 10 kicks off today!
More than 1,000 pieces of art will be on display from nearly 1,500 different artists from across the country. More than 150 different venues are taking part this year.
It's completely free and open to the public, and is expected to attract nearly 500,000 people this year.
ArtPrize runs through October 7.
2. A popular restaurant is closing its doors in about a month. Marie Catrib's is well known in Grand Rapids, and has been on Lake Drive for almost 14 years.
Marie's son posted the news on the restaurant's Facebook page, saying that the family has had a beautiful and successful business, and that it's been an honor to uphold his late mother's legacy. Marie Catrib passed away from ovarian cancer in 2013 at age 65.
He didn't post an exact reason, only saying it's time to start the next chapter in his life. The restaurant is set to close on October 20.
3. Fans were asked to submit possible menu items to the Grand Rapids Griffins, and now this quesadilla burger will be part of the menu at Van Andel Arena this season for their games.
Andrew Kelly is the creator of the burger. The others up for consideration were a beer mac and cheese from Jonathan Niese, pork tacos from Ryan Barker, and Carne Asada fries from Sonya Martinez.
The Griffins open the season October 5 at Texas. The first home game is October 12 against Hershey.
4. More than $5 million for upgrades has been approved for Muskegon County Airport.
The money will go toward reconstructing the runway, and updating parts of the terminal. The money couldn't have come at a better time, new numbers show that more people are using the airport.
Last month, more than 4,500 passengers flew out to Chicago, a 19 percent increase from last year.
There's no word yet on when construction will start.
5. Aye maties, 'tis the day we've all been waiting for: International Talk Like A Pirate Day! But avast! Before you grab your grog and parrot, let's get ye educated.
The idea for the day was born in 1995 on a YMCA racquetball court in Albany, Oregon. John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur and his friend Mar "Cap'n Slappy" Summers began throwing around insults, just like pirates.
They selected September 19 because Summers had recently divorced, it was his ex-wife's birthday, and he figured "the date was stuck in his head."
It wasn't until humorist Dave Barry caught wind of the idea and threw his support behind it in 2002 that the rickety ship took sail.
