Good morning, Grand Rapids. I’m Jenny and this is Calder News.

Grand Rapids is home to all kinds of cool events lately. This week includes The Beer City Open and The Cans Film Festival. I’ve lived here 24 years, and the city still surprises me all the time.

Read about those events and more in today’s newsletter.

~Jenny F.

Together with: Bamboo

Bamboo Grand Rapids, a local coworking space in the former UICA building on Fulton, is hosting the first-ever Grove 2-day business retreat for founders, creators, and operators. Attendees can choose a track that most closely matches their desired outcomes.

Spend the day learning from industry professionals, including Calder News’ own LeQwane Lynch, and networking with like-minded locals. Sessions will invigorate and inspire those trying to establish or revitalize their own businesses.

Keep the conversations going during meals at local restaurants and close out the retreat on Saturday with a learning fair.

If you’re looking to start or expand your own business, this is the event for you.

See more details.

A briefing of local news that matters

Transportation

Last month, the city downsized the DASH bus route to cater to the event spaces downtown, but in doing so, some stops disappeared. Since the new route started, ridership has dropped by over half, suggesting that the DASH does more for the community than ushering people between entertainment venues. A forthcoming survey and community meetings will address concerns. Read more here.

Development

Grand Valley State University recently announced its plans to renovate and add on to the Eberhard Center on its Pew campus, and now it’s expanding even more by buying Consumers Energy’s John G. Russell Leadership Center on Front Street. See more details.

Community

Grand Rapids has lots of great accolades—Beer City, Best Place to Start a Career, and more. But this next top-ten list isn’t one to boast about. We’re 10th in the worst cities for bed bugs. But hey, we were 7th last year, so things are looking up? Check it out.l

Accessibility

Ford Airport, in collaboration with GoodMaps, has designed a smartphone app to help all travelers, especially those with hearing and seeing impairments, more easily navigate the airport as well as receive instructions to safety in the case of an emergency. Read more here.

Have news to report? Click here.

Books & Mortar, an independent bookstore on Cherry, will cease regular business hours starting August 1st and eventually close entirely.

Zeytin Turkish Restaurants in Ada celebrates 20 years of business. Nothing better than sitting on their patio with a plateful of hummus on a summer night!

GR Creator Studio, a place for local creatives, marketers, and media professionals, is celebrating its second anniversary on Friday.

There are a lot of ways to get around downtown, and some people are confused about what modes of transportation can be used on sidewalks and in bike lanes. The city offers some clarity.

As the city makes good progress on replacing all its lead service lines, it earned an Excellence in Community Engagement Award from the American Water Works Association.

You may have heard of the Cannes Film Festival, but much closer to home, we’ve got the Cans Film Festival, a celebration of local filmmakers where the price of admission is returnable cans and bottles. The proceeds of the empties donated go to the creators of the audience’s favorite movies from the festival.

This festival, happening Friday and Saturday, includes blocks of locally made short films, feature movies, workshops, and panel discussions.

Read more here.

🥒 Pickleball Majors Held At Belknap

It’s no secret that pickleball has taken the world by storm, but I was today years old when I learned it has its own major league. The championship game, aptly named The Beer City Open, was held in GR this past weekend.

📽 Theater Buffs Coming to GR

Everyone’s talking about the upcoming release of The Odyssey, which was shot in IMAX format. There are only 25 theaters in the country where you can see the movie as it was meant to be viewed, and our own Celebration Cinema North is one of those theaters.

Made for Grand Rapids locals by locals. 📍