1. Lots of people getting ready for the annual Grand Rapids Public Schools Turkey Trot.
GRPS says this year they've already raised over $100,000 for GRPS Athletics, hitting its fundraising goal ahead of schedule.
So far, 4,000 runners have signed up. Now heads up for runners, there's a change in the route.
Runners start and end at Van Andel Arena, but due to construction at the intersection of Fulton Street West and Division runners go east on Fulton then take a left and head north on Ionia, followed by a right onto Crescent Street northeast to reach Division.
2. Ford International Airport will soon offer two new nonstop flights from Allegiant.
Starting in May of 2025 you'll be able to fly direct to South Carolina and Florida, from Grand Rapids.
The flights land at the Myrtle Beach International Airport and the Jacksonville International Airport. One-way fares start as low as $59.
3. With Thanksgiving so close, many of you may already be getting in to the Christmas spirit.
Looking ahead to next Friday, the City of Kalamazoo will host its annual Tree Lighting Ceremony!
Festivities are planned from 5 to 7 p.m. with the lighting of the park taking place around 6.
Also new this year, attendees can also donate new or gently used toys. Which will be given to children ages 10 and under at the December to remember event hosted by the Kalamazoo Youth Action Council.
The event will also include dance and music performances -- plenty of holiday activities -- and even a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus!
4. The U.S. Postal Service teams up with one toy and clothing company to help make sure a child in need's Christmas wish list comes true.
USPS and Toys-R-Ss are partnering up to create an online e-commerce catalog of Christmas gifts called Santa's Gift Shoppe.
The partnership is a part of the USPS 112-year-old "Operation Santa Program" dedicated to spreading joy and fulfilling Christmas wish lists across the country.
Kids can send their letters in to Santa and "adopters" can anonymously fulfill wish lists via Santa's Gift Shoppe.
Letter adoptees can browse through a selection of items from Toys-R-Us. Almost 30,000 Santa letters received a response last year according to USPS.
5. Starbucks has their special red cups, the radio is playing Christmas music, and cabletv.com is hiring their third annual Chief of Cheer!
They're looking for someone to watch 25 holiday movies in 25 days for $2,500. They're also giving this person the ultimate streaming package, so it's easy for them to complete the challenge.
The Chief of Cheer will get to pick which 25 movies to watch and then they'll send in reviews of the movies.
Applicants have until November 29 to apply at cabletv.com. The winner will be announced on December 5.
