1. Tulip Time is revealing their partner for the festival's end-of-the-week fireworks, Latin Americans United For Progress.
The nonprofit says it wanted to play a part in Tulip Time; to connect Holland's Latino community to Dutch culture.
The fireworks are Saturday, May 13, capping off a week of Dutch dancing, parades, and food with a spectacle in the sky.
2. Livability.com just released a ranking of the top 25 best places to live in the Midwest and Grand Rapids made the cut.
The 2023 ranking uses data collected from Livability's annual ranking of the top 100 best places to live.
More than 1,000 adults across the country were surveyed to determine what they would value in a prospective community with an emphasis on how rising costs are affecting their relocation decisions. Grand rapids came in 21st.
Other Michigan cities on the list include Ann Arbor, Rochester Hills, Troy, and Royal Oak.
3. A new restaurant on Grand Rapids West Side serves breakfast sandwiches, burritos, and hand-crafted coffee and energy drinks.
Vibe Energy Café is now open at 900 Fulton Street West, where Tim Horton's used to be. They also have a food menu that includes biscuit sandwiches, like the count, which is ham, turkey, Swiss, and American cheese with a syrup drizzle.
They also serve a variety of breakfast burritos and sweets like cinnamon rolls and blueberry muffins. Make sure to check them out on Facebook.
4. The West Michigan Whitecaps are getting ready for their own season opener with some new menu additions.
The team unveiled the winner of the fan food vote: the 'Firecracker Dog!'
Normally you'd put ketchup and mustard on your hot dog, but this one has cream cheese, grilled peppers and onions and crispy jalapenos.
The 'caps are adding a few other new foods: Kingdom Bowls, The Queso Queen, Corn Ribs, and specialty sundaes, like the PB&J.
You can taste them for yourselves starting April 6 when the whitecaps host the Fort Wayne Tincaps on opening day. First pitch is at 6:35.
5. We have our first official look at the poster for the 2023 Festival of The Arts in Grand Rapids.
This year's design comes courtesy of West Michigan artist Maggie Bandstra. Her paintings are nature-inspired abstractions.
A festival is a 3-day event that features different performances, a juried art exhibition, and plenty of food.
It runs from June 2-4.
