Happy Monday morning, Grand Rapids. I’m LeQwane and this is Calder News — the 3x weekly newsletter on everything Grand Rapids that’s continually getting updated.

Over the weekend, I added a formal event submission process for community organizers (in the events section) and even changed some styling to improve the reading experience for our newsletter.

Whether you’re just reading or want to get more involved, I appreciate you reading and hope you have a great start to your week.

ps. if you own or work for a business that may have an interest in reaching Grand Rapids locals - let’s talk.

~LeQwane L.

In today’s news:

• 🫡 Serving who served

• 💧 Update on the drought

• 🏠️ Tiny homes in Grand Rapids

Let’s get into it…

Serving Those Who Served

It’s Veterans Day — the official day we honor those who serve(d) our country.

What’s a better way to do that than serving those that served?

In today’s email, I thought I’d feature a list of local restaurants offering free meals for Veterans and current service members today.

Here are a handful of places:

• Red Water Restaurant (multiple locations) - Any item valued at $29 or less is free

• Brann’s Steakhouse & Grille (all locations) - Free steak and potato dinner

• HopCat (all locations) ****- free dine-in meal and drink

• Anna’s House (all locations)

• Stella’s Lounge (SW Grand Rapids)

Do you know a vet or current service member? Make sure they get this list and thank them for their service if you didn’t. 🫡

What’s Happening

A briefing of local news that matters

Weather:  Update on Grand Rapid’s drought

After a wet weekend, Grand Rapids is closer to ending its drought. Compared to previous years, we are sitting at a ~4.15’ deficit in rainfall for autumn. However, we’re not out of the gutters yet because the drought may get worse. Read Fox 17’s full report here.

Housing:  Tiny homes are on the way

Thanks to $1,000,000 in funding from the state, Grand Rapids is getting its first tiny homes project. Led by Mel-Trotter and Next Steps, the project will build 16 tiny homes on 1.65 acres of land on the SE side of town to combat homelessness in Grand Rapids. The nonprofits hope this project could establish the concept of tiny homes in the community.

Community Feature

To get featured in Calder News - tag us on Instagram or Facebook

Events

Preview: Events —> Live Music

Monday

• Flag Raising Ceremony | Corewell Health | multiple times | Free

• WWE Raw | Van Andel Arena | 6:30 PM | Starting at $30

• Derek Hough: Dance for Holidays | DeVos Performance Hall | 8 PM | Starting at $55

Tuesday

• Cake Decorating: Hot Coca Mug | Sweet Details GR | 5:30 PM | $75

Wednesday

• Karaoke Happy Hour | Multiple Locations | 6 PM - 8 PM | $25 | Broadway GR invites you to unleash your inner star at Broadway Karaoke

• Conversation about cancer/nutrition | Van Andel Institute | 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

• Hockey: Griffins vs Rockford Icehogs | Van Andel Arena | 11 AM | Starting at $20

Live Music

Monday

• Nathan Walton | Greyline | 7 PM - 9 PM

Tuesday

• The Tommy Pancy Trio (Jazz) | The Stray | 7 PM - 9:30 PM | Free

• Valerie June (multi-instrumentalist) | St. Cecilia Music Center | 7:30 PM - 9 PM | Starting at $40

Wednesday

• SonReal (Hip-hop) | The Stache | 6:30 PM | $26 adv/ $30 door

*Shows are subject to change, but that’s show biz.

Outside The Plaza

3 quick hits of news from cities around Grand Rapids

Grand Haven:  The holiday season is here and Grand Haven is preparing for it with its annual Light Night celebration — music, live entertainment, lighting displays, and special offers from local businesses. Read more here.

Michigan:  Sault Ste. Marie approved the Mackinac Bridge Authority to collect a 2.3% convenience fee on tolls paid with a card starting Jan 1st. Read more here.

That’s All For Today…

⭐️ If you enjoyed today’s newsletter, copy the link to the post and share it with a friend. Every new reader that joins our email helps.

📧 Get your business in an upcoming issue of Calder News. Let’s talk about how we can put your business in front of thousands of GR locals.

Made with ❤️ in Grand Rapids