1. With so much beauty in West Michigan, the West Michigan Tourist Association wants you to show off what you love most about this beautiful state and win some great West Michigan prizes.
All you must do is upload your favorite West Michigan photos at wmta.org by July 28. Public voting will begin on August 1 on their Facebook page and winners will be announced on August 18.
2. Relax and enjoy a night of music. Oshtemo Friends Of the Parks free, family-friendly outdoor concerts series at Flesher Field Park's Gazebo continues!
Up next on July 9, the Bronk Brothers, are known for their combination of classic country and classic rock.
The season closes on August 6 with Kalamazoo Avenue Band.
All concerts are from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Bring a blanket or chair for lawn seating and a picnic. Get all the details at oshtemo.org/events.
3. Huge congrats to Kalamazoo’s G.G. Wuis - he's headed to Taiwan as part of USA baseball's 12U national team.
We followed G.G. and the team as they won the SBSC Baseball World's Cup America's qualifier in Mexico in May. He was one of 18 chosen for this latest team after the 12U team training camp.
They will train together before opening World Cup play against the Czech Republic on July 28, that game will be at 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time - but if you want to learn more, head to usabaseball.com.
4. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has released her summer playlist to the public.
This playlist has a variety of hits that are sure to please almost any Michigander, from "Bounce Back" by Big Sean, to "Rich Girl" by Hall & Oates, to "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band.
If you would like to listen to the governor's playlist, you can check it out for free on Spotify.
5. West Michigan entrepreneurs of Red, White, and Blue Spirits are giving back this month and you can help.
Rodgers and George Germain will donate $2 from every bottle of RWB Spirits liqueur sold during the month of July to support enrichment activities for the more than 120 veteran members who live at Michigan veteran homes in Grand Rapids.
RWB Spirits include Red Dawn, White Reflection, and Blue Horizon. The bottles are now at a growing number of retailers, and you can find those at rwb-spirits.com.
